Bournemouth 1-3 Chelsea: Player ratings

Trevor Chalobah – 5.5

Incredibly frustrating for large parts of the first half with his constant back passes, Chalobah nonetheless managed to put in a decent second half in a position that certainly does not come naturally to him.

Thiago Silva – 6

Silva can consider himself incredibly fortunate to have avoided giving away a penalty when he slid in rashly to bring Dominic Solanke down in the box. The replays made clear that the Brazilian did not get any of the ball, and it is still puzzling as to why the correct decision was not arrived at retrospectively with the aid of VAR. Moreover, the 38-year-old was also beaten too easily for Bournemouth’s equaliser and Saturday’s outing certainly cannot be said to be a vintage one for the veteran centre-half.

Ben Chilwell – 6

While he was defensively solid against Bournemouth, Chilwell was, however, unable to contribute much going forward. Usually a threat when allowed time and space in the opposition half, the Englishman’s final ball in the attacking third was lacking in quality today. Unfortunate to have sustained what looks to be another hamstring injury, Saturday’s victory over Bournemouth is likely to be the Englishman’s last of the season.

Conor Gallagher – 7.5 MOTM

The Blues’ hardest-working player and the scorer of his team’s opening goal on the day, Gallagher offered much-needed tenacity and grit in the middle of the park. While his technical ability has been questioned by the fans from time to time, his effort has never been in doubt, and today’s performance is evidence of what he can nonetheless offer to the team.

N’golo Kante – 6

Perhaps a little low considering that it was his inch-perfect cross that allowed Gallagher to guide the ball home for the opener, Kante was nonetheless nowhere near his best against the home side. A little careless with possession and a little clumsy with his challenges, the Frenchman is evidently not yet back to full fitness.