Chelsea FC Stunned By Bournemouth 1-0

Chelsea FC lost yet another game as they plunged further into chaos.

The Blues welcomed Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth side to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon as they looked to continue their unbeaten run. With Jose Mourinho’s men targeting a top four finish given their poor start, a slip-up against lowly opposition was the last thing needed.

Bournemouth substitute Glenn Murray scored the only goal of the contest mere seconds after taking the field. Chelsea failed to deal with a corner on the end of which Murray applied his head. The Blues were unable to take any of their numerous chances as they fell 1-0.

Thibaut Courtois returned to the starting line-up after recovering from his serious knee injury. Diego Costa, meanwhile, remained on the bench and so did Loic Remy as Eden Hazard continued in the number nine role. Baba Rahman came in for Cesar Azpilicueta.

View image | gettyimages.com

Artur Boruc fought off injury doubts to start for the Cherries, saving Howe from having to pick his third-choice goalkeeper.

Chelsea started fast and looked confident. The first chance of the game fell to Hazard minutes into the contest, but the Bournemouth keeper parried the Belgian’s effort.

The game was fairly open during the first half, with chances coming at both ends. The seasiders settled into the game and strung together some slick passing moves. They could have easily gone 1-0 up just after the ten minute mark as Junior Stanislas’ effort forced a decent save from Courtois. Joshua King then dawdled on the rebound, allowing his strike to be comfortably blocked.

More from The Pride of London

• Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea player ratings: Abysmal, reckless, wasteful
• Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea: 3 Blues talking points
• Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 1 Blue Mauricio Pochettino should drop
• Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 3 Blues who must start
• Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Bournemouth: Palmer starts in 4-2-3-1

King drew another impressive save from the Belgian moments later as Chelsea’s number 13 showed how much he is worth to this Blues squad.

Hazard and Willian looked lively throughout the first period, finding joy down the flanks. However, no Chelsea player was making the required runs to be able to get onto the end of some decent crosses.

Last season’s player of the year tested Boruc as the half winded down, with a rocket left-footed strike nearly finding its way past the near post. Pedro’s right-footed curler not long after was also pushed wide by Boruc’s fingertips. Both teams would have gone into the changing rooms thinking that they deserved to be a goal up.

Diego Costa replaced a disappointing Oscar at the start of the second half as Chelsea sought that elusive goal.

View image | gettyimages.com

The Blues were dominant over the latter 45 with Bournemouth seemingly happy to sit back and soak up pressure. Unfortunately, Chelsea’s attacks consisted of a lot of sideways passes as they seemed unable to pick the opposition’s lock.

The best chance of contest to that point occurred soon after the restart, when Nemanja Matic proceeded to head a Willian cross over the bar. The slight deflection from a Cherries defender evidently threw the Serbian.

Chelsea then had a decent shout for a penalty turned down with an hour gone, as Costa’s cross stuck the hand of a sliding Simon Francis. Whether the decision was correct or not is largely down to your interpretation of the law.

The game then wandered on for a bit as the entertainment value fell off a cliff. Then, in the 82nd minute, it happened.

View image | gettyimages.com

Glenn Murray replaced a cramp-plagued King and just 99 seconds later the former Crystal Palace man nodded home a Cherries corner to give the visitors the lead.

Courtois flapped at the initial ball which allowed Adam Smith to swing his foot at it. The ensuing scramble ended with Murray bundling the ball over the line. There were suspicions of offside and replays suggested that Murray indeed was. Having said that, it was a marginal decision that could have gone either way.

Chelsea tried in vain to net the equaliser but the better of the late opportunities actually fell to Howe’s men. Bournemouth could not double their lead and the game finished 1-0. The Blues had lost their eighth Premier League game of the season while the Cherries picked up a bonus three points in their bid to stay up.

Next: Christian Eriksen Rejected Chelsea FC

Such a poor result against a relegation-threatened team was not what the West Londoners needed ahead of their crucial clash with Porto on Wednesday night. Furthermore, their next league fixture comes against table-toppers Leicester City a week on Monday.

Unadulterated chaos.