Chelsea travelled to the Vitality Stadium to play a Bournemouth side that had only picked up one point from the last five games. But Enzo Maresca’s men were thoroughly outplayed on the day, with Robert Sanchez making five saves to ensure the game remained goalless and a point was secured for the Blues.
After a stinging loss to Leeds United in midweek, the Blues needed a win. Unfortunately, the Cherries simply had too much for the world champions.
It was a horrific showing from the Blues’ frontline, but with a few good outings elsewhere. Let’s see how the Chelsea players performed individually.
Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea: Sanchez stands tall in another poor outing
Robert Sanchez: 9/10
Sanchez, in the first half alone, earned the Man of the Match award. The Chelsea No. 1 stood tall (literally and figuratively) against Bournemouth. The former Brighton & Hove Albion keeper made four crucial saves within the first 45 minutes to keep his side in the game. Thanks to him, the score remained 0-0 at the break and at the end.
Malo Gusto: 6.5/10
Gusto had a difficult day. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make his mark. His passing was shaky, but his defending was pretty good. His dribbling left too much to be desired. He was fresh, but that freshness did nothing for the Blues in the final third. Bournemouth had too much fun down his flank.
Wesley Fofana: 7/10
Fofana was sharp. He was Chelsea’s busiest defender against the Cherries. He made key interceptions, positioning himself well to clear danger at key points in the game. He communicated well with his centre-back partner, and his passing was good.
Trevoh Chalobah: 7/10
Chalobah was great, in fact, even better than Fofana. He won all his duels, and his reading of the game was top of the shelf. His distribution was great - well, his short passing anyway. Unfortunately, Bournemouth seemed to get behind Chelsea’s backline quite easily, which is not particularly down to the centre-backs.
Marc Cucurella: 6.5/10
Cucurella was surprisingly good in the air. However, like Gusto, Bournemouth had too much fun down the Spaniard’s flank as well.
Reece James: 7/10
James had good moments, but Andoni Iraola’s men controlled the middle of the park, so you cannot say the captain was effective in the middle of the park. He only won 40% of his ground duels, which explains why the Cherries dominated in midfield. He tried his best, but it wasn’t enough.
Enzo Fernandez: 6/10
Fernandez’s passing was good, as Chelsea fans have come to expect, but he was not as useful in the defending department. The Chelsea No. 8 took one of the Blues’ few shots on target. Other than that, he was forgettable.
Pedro Neto: 7/10
Neto’s work rate was commendable. He created more chances (4) than any other player in a blue shirt, but he was not good in his duels. He completed no dribbles, and his effect in the final third was arguable.
Cole Palmer: 6/10
Palmer looked like a player just returning from injury. Though he tried, he was stifled and was unable to make any measurable impact on his team’s fortunes. Other than dribbling, the Blues No. 10 contributed nothing to the game.
Alejandro Garnacho: 6/10
Garnacho was Chelsea’s least effective attacker. The Cherries won the ball off him relatively easily. It was a difficult night for all of the attackers, so he was not alone.
Liam Delap: 6/10
Delap was ineffective in this game too, but he had to be taken off due to injury. To his credit, hw battled with Bournemouth’s centre-backs. A battle he lost soundly, but still. The Englishman has been bad for several games now. The issue is that Joao Pedro has been equally poor.
Marc Guiu (32’): 7/10
Guiu replaced Delap in the 32nd minute, and you could say the 19-year-old Spaniard contributed defensively. He wasn’t much better at getting shots off, though he took a few. Most importantly, he did a better job of occupying the opposition centre-backs.
Joao Pedro (58’): 6.5/10
Pedro came in to play as the No. 10, and he offered nothing there. He did contribute defensively though, winning all but one of his five attempted duels.
Estevao (77’): 5/10
Estevao only managed two passes in over 13 minutes on the pitch, showing his lack of involvement in the game. This says more about Bournemouth’s discipline than it does about the Brazilian's talent.
Enzo Maresca: 8/10
The manager gets an 8 because he did all he should have done. With the previous game coming last Tuesday, he knew that players would be tired and need rest. Despite the loss and criticism from fans, he insisted that rotation was needed and unavoidable.
He made the right subs too, taking off Cole Palmer, knowing he couldn’t play the full 90 minutes. He also took off an ineffective Garnacho and gave other players a chance to make a difference. Chelsea were clearly outplayed, but with a Blues team that was heavily rotated, it’s hardly surprising.