John Brewin’s report has landed and with that I’ll sign off.
Thanks to everyone who contributed and thanks to the 14 players on the pitch who got booked, thereby making this a historic Premier League match.
It wasn’t always pretty but it was good fun. Both teams gave it a go. Ultimately a bit of quality from Chelsea, and some bad luck for Bournemouth, proved the difference.
Cheers all. Hope you have a great night.
Updated
Nkunku and Sancho – goal scorer and goal provider – are both on my screen for a little post-match chinwag:
Sancho: It was amazing to make my debut for Chelsea. Just being back playing, I’m grateful. I thought the team played really well. We dug in.
Nkunku: [The manager] said to me to create in the box. And I did. It was a good ball from Jadon. I had the space behind me. I had three defenders on me. I do the balloon for my son [well don’t I feel silly now].
Sancho: I’ve been working hard for this moment and I’m just happy I got my chance. I had a great end to last season. I just told myself going into this season to have a good start to the season. I just have to thank all the staff and my teammates.
Nkunku: We are in a big club with big players. There is competition for positions. We just have to work hard.
Oh! And Bournemouth missed a penalty in the first half!
No doubt about it. Bournemouth should have won that.
Did Bournemouth blow that?
They had nine more shots than Chelsea, more than twice as many on target, hit the post twice and had an xG of 1.63 compared to Chelsea’s 0.64.
I should have asked this at the time, but what the hell was Nkunku doing with that celebration?
I’ll tell you what he was doing, he pulled out a balloon, blew it up, kept the inflated balloon in his mouth, stuck his head back and raised both arms.
It was weird. And I hate to sound like a noodge, but also in poor taste. I hate seeing kids huffing balloons all over London and I’m not sure that’s a great message to send. Am I a grumpy old man just out of touch? Or does anyone agree with me?
Our regular tonight, Matt Muir, has filed a little sign-off:
“Sancho and Tosin were positives, and it’s good to win, but it’s not a fun watch. Credit to Bournemouth who might reasonably feel they deserved at least a point, but it feels weird to play ultimate team with a mad ideologue’s version of Pep-light football that noone’s actually won anything with for a decade.”
Harsh but fair, as always Matt. Cheers mate. Enjoy the win, even if it was messy.
Nate Elliot is unhappy with how this game was reffed.
“If the league ague can fine a club for failing to control their players, can they also fine the PGMOL for failing to control their referees?”
You know, I’m not sure I agree. I love that players arguing with decisions were booked. Only way we stop referees getting abused in my opinion. Perhaps there were some soft calls but no howlers as I saw it.
Full-time! Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea
The Blues pinch it! Did they deserve that? I’m not sure. But you don’t always get what you deserve. Bournemouth hit the post twice in a game that broke the Premier League record for yellow cards shown – a whopping 14 for players and one for Bournemouth’s manager. All that matters though is that scoreline. A clean sheet on the road and some handy contributions off the bench. Job done for Chelsea.
Updated
90+6 min: Sancho is rightly named as player of the match. It was his assist that turned the game and he sparkled throughout this second half down the left.
90+6 min: Still time for Semenyo to get booked. That’s the 14th for a player and the 15th overall.
90+6 min: Sanchez makes another great save! Unal spins on the ball and suddenly the whole game opens in front of him. he looks up, realises he has time and space to shoot and lets rip. It’s heading towards the bottom corner until Sanchez stops it.
90+5 min: Excellent from Sanchez who came out with authority and claimed the corner. Bournemouth will really only have one more shot at this.
90+3 min: Chelsea supporters have found their voice. But they’re silenced as the ball is given away and Bournemouth, perhaps for the last time, can mount an attack. Chelsea do well with Fofana winning the ball around half-way. But here come Bournemouth again. Mad pace to this now. Billing gets ti the byline, cuts back a wicked cross but Colwill gets his body in the way. That might have been deflected towards goal. Instead it’s a corner.
14 yellow cards - a Premier League record
It’s not been the greatest game, but it is one for the record books! Astonishingly, we’ve not had a single red. Still time.
90 min: Chelsea have the ball inside Bournemouth territory and rather than drive towards goal they’re keeping possession. They know they’ve been second best for most of the night. What a win this would be. Six minutes will be added.
Felix is booked for a late challenge on half-way and I believe this might be a Premier League record. Will confirm as soon as I can.
89 min: Sanchez steams off his line to snuff out the danger from a loose ball hacked forward. Semenyo gets the ball though after Bournemouth win it back and he shoots from inside Chelsea’s box. Colwill blocks and celebrates. Fair enough. That was top defending.
88 min: Veiga is booked for celebrating in the crowd. What a mad game this is! That’s the seventh Chelsea player to see yellow.
GOAL! Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea (Nkunku, 86)
Has he won it off the bench? Of course it’s not over but that will likely be the winner. Sancho again the difference maker. Firm delivery from the wide left channel, Nkunku spins inside the box and gets lucky with the bounce of the ball off the two defenders marking him. He falls as he shoots and manages to squeeze it in off the far post.
Updated
85 min: Sinisterra receives the ball in a wide left position, drives towwards the box, cuts back in field, takes out two defenders as he does so and lets fly with venom. The shot is blocked but that was looking dangerous for a moment. Bournemouth know they have late goals in them. This aint over.
83 min: Tavernier, who had a great game and rattled the woodwork in the first half, makes way for Unal.
81 min: I’m shocked there isn’t another card. Cucurella has crunched Scott from behind as Bournemouth were about to set a quick transition attack inside Chelsea’s territory. That was a cynical foul. The fact that he’s already been booked probably saved him.
80 min: Senesi gets booked. Fair play actually. He crashed into Felix and took him out from behind.
79 min: Jackson makes way for Nkunku. I must admit I forgot that Jackson was on the pitch. He basically became redundant the moment Felix joined the scene.
78 min: Felix brings down a long ball with ice on it inside Bournemouth’s box. What a great touch. But it wasn’t quite perfect as it took him away from goal. He tried to back heel a pass for the onrushing support but couldn’t make it work.
76 min: Neat work from Bournemouth who stitch their first move in what has felt like an age. Billing with some lovely touches near the right but there’s an off-side. Bournemouth have taken the blows. Now it’s their turn to attack. Billing drives past a defender and is upended on his way to the byline. No foul though. Goal kick for Chelsea.
74 min: Sancho is climbing through the gears. Everything that;s working for Chelsea is coming down this left side. Now Bournemouth have two men marking him. Meanwhile the home team make some subs. Kluivert and Smith (who mist be knackered marking Neto and then Sancho) make way for Billing and Araujo.
“Hi Dan, has the ref booked the crowd yet fir being too loud? He clearly wants the yellow card record.”
Not yet, Phillip Haran.
72 min: Felix gets in a tangle and Bournemouth break. That is until Veiga sticks out a long leg and makes a brilliant tackle in midfield. he then sets forth, beats one, beats another and finds himself in Bournemouth’s box. But he can’t work a shot. Chelsea are growing. Palmer and Cucurella are starting to drift towards the Sancho-Felix axis that is getting a lot of joy down the left.
71 min: Sancho and Felix combine again. Felix though can’t wriggle the space when he finds himself on the byline on the left. His cross is deflected but then again off his own leg so it’ll be a Bournemouth goal kick.
70 min: Sancho – who has been Chelsea’s best player since coming on – sparks a move down the left with a nutmeg. Tasty. But once again a lack of cohesion lets the Blues down. Just not enough players on the same page. Bournemouth can hustle back and take the ball away.
68 min: It’s a whippy corner but Travers punches it clear. Subs for Bournemouth. Christie and Evanilson make way for Scott and Sinisterra.
66 min: They’ve been dross with the ball but Chelsea have scrambled well without it at times. Caicedo intercepts Christie’s ball across the face of the box and Chelsea launch a counter. Felix carries it, finds Sancho, gets it back with a show-boaty flick. Chelsea keep it and Sancho slides in Cucurella down the left on the overlap. The cut back from the byline just about finds Jackson who spins, falls over and shoots. The deflection takes it wide and we’ll have a Chelsea corner.
65 min: Palmer, now on the right, is jinking and bopping but going nowhere so he recycles to Caicedo. Chelsea work through the lines. Felix is on the ball. Caicedo gets it in midfield, looks up, sees nothing so figures he’ll hit it from a mile away. It’s blocked and Bournemouth launch it long.
63 min: It’s been chaotic but Bournemouth need to find a goal. Chelsea have the quality to nick a win. They don’t deserve to be level. Kluivert is showing his teammates the ‘calm down’ hand gesture.
61 min: A couple of changes for Chelsea. Madueke and Disasi off. Felix and Tosin are on. Palmer will shift to the right I reckon.
60 min: Kluivert is booked for bringing down Madueke who had him beat on his outside. 10 cards in the game for players, one for a manager.
59 min: Christie hits the upright! He ran onto a loose ball that was bouncing around the edge of the Chelsea box and did so well to kee it down on the deck. It took a deflection off a Chelsea defender and dribbled onto the post and out for a corner. Chelsea are hanging on here.
Updated
58 min: Some variety in the free-kick. Tavernier shapes to shoot but instead rolls it across the front of the Chelsea wall and Semenyo runs onto it and hits ir first time with the side of his foot. But it curls high and wide.
57 min: Colwill is booked right on the edge of his own box. Sancho is booked for dissent. I think Colwill is unlucky as I thought he got enough of the ball as he lunged to bring down Semenyo who found a half gap as he surged towards the Chelsea goal. This is definitely in range for a shot.
56 min: Jackson unfurls a curler but can’t keep it down. Neat footwork from Sancho who wriggled into space down the left and fed his striker. A drop of the shoulder and a deft shot, but not enough accuracy to find the top corner.
55 min: Correction, Jackson was booked for dissent. Taylor is not tolerating any disrespect.
54 min: Bournemouth have upped the tempo. Caicedo has to make a lunging tackle to prevent an overlap down Chelsea’s right flank. Kerkez has the ball and theows it long. Chelsea can;t clear and Kerkez now has a chance to cross. It’s another Bournemouth throw inside Chelsea’s third. They’re not letting up.
53 min: The ball is in the Chelsea net! But it’s off-side. Evanilson was miles off in the build up. In fact, by the time the cross came in and he nodded it into the far corner, Chelsea’s players had practically stopped playing.
51 min: Jackson is asked to chase a ball from Caicedo. It was well weighted and Jackson was on his way but he had three defenders aroudn him. In a flash Kluivert is inside the Chelsea box and forcing a save from Sanchez. That was brilliant footwork and an even better save. Great footy there. Another yellow card is shown to Jackson. I can’t keep up with all these bookings. I think that might have been for a dive.
50 min: Free kick to Bournemouth in a handy position. Tavernier lifts it to the back post. It’s knocked back and Chelsea break but BOurnemouth have it right back. Kerkez figures, ‘why not?’ and takes a pot shot from range. That would have cleared two goals stacked on top of each other.
49 min: Bournemouth break out and Semenyo is fouled by Caicedo. It was cynical but necessary. Bournemouth were threatening around the Chelsea area. Iraola wasn’t happy with something and he gets booked for complaining too loudly.
48 min: Oh what a move from Chelsea. Cucurella picked it up on the gallop and found Sancho who gave it back to him near the byline. The ball back across the box was a decent one but it was slightly behind Jackson who would have had a tap in into a an empty net.
47 min: Circumspect start to this half. That is until Tavernier, who had a great first half, pinches the ball and injects pace in a counter. But Chelsea cut it out and we’re back to a scrap around half-way.
We’re back, and Sancho is on the pitch.
The new signing is on for Neto, who I thought was Chelsea’s best prospect, but what do I know.
“This is like watching Sarri’s Chelsea but with significantly worse players and without Hazard to unilaterally decide to do something brilliant.”
Yeouch! That’s a scathing rebuke from Blues fan Matt Muir.
“Turgid stuff, Bournemouth much the better team, the midfield doesn’t appear to exist and goal kicks are an existential nightmare.”
I don’t disagree with any of that. Watching this game as a neutral has been fun. But I’d be screaming if I was a Chelsea supporter.
Krishan Moorthy, a self declared ‘sad Chelsea fan’ has figures out what the club stands for:
Careless
Haughty
Edgy
Losers
Spineless
Embarrassing
Asinine
Is what Chelsea stands for these days?
Kieran McHugh has taken issue with something I said:
In your MBM for the Bournemouth v Chelsea you write that Chelsea have ‘so many stars...’. I know that it’s a nice turn of phrase but really the closest they have to a genuine star is Cole Palmer isn’t it?
I hear you, Kieran. What I meant was there’s loads of talent in the team but they’re not on the same page. Perhaps ‘star’ is doing some heavy lifting in my original post.
Half-time: Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea
No they can’t but Evanilson ends the half with a shot from an acute angle that dribbled past the face of goal.
An entertaining half that neither side dominated. Evanilson’s weak penalty was well saved by Sanchez and Tarvenier cracked the upright, so I guess you can say that the home side will be frustrated that they don’t have the advantage at the break.
Back soon.
45+1 min: Bournemouth get a corner. We’ll just have one added minute so this’ll be the last action of the half. Can they work something?
44 min: Bournemouth break and Christie finds Kluivert, at full steam ahead, with a lovely ball. But Chelsea get back in time and the danger is snuffed out. Not for long, however, as Cook finds himself in an advanced position and lets fly from about 30-odd yards on the angle to the right of goal. He catches it well but he pulled it well wide.
43 min: Palmer is bumped off the ball and Taylor gives Cook a warning. He’s already in the book. Palmer wants to know why he hasn’t sent him off.
41 min: Chelsea don’t look cohesive. So many stars but none of them aligned. Once again a potential break comes to nothing as Jackson, after a great spin on the ball, fails to find a teammate with a raking pass forward.
PENALTY SAVED! (Evanilson misses, 39)
Telegraphed! He goes for the bottom corner to Sanchez’s left, doesn’t find it, and the keeper does well to keep the game scoreless.
Updated
37 min: PENALTY FOR BOURNEMOUTH! And Sanchez is booked. Fofan’s back pass to his ‘keeper is well short and Evanilson runs onto the loose ball. He lifts it over the onrushing Sanchez who takes him out. He’s lucky it was not red. Smith had issue with the decision to to show a red and he got booked as well. Evanilson will dust himself off and take the penalty.
36 min: Cucurella is booked. That was silly as it was off the ball, outside the area of play, as he lunged in on Christie and got himself booked.
35 min: Palmer draws another foul and Cook, who tugged at his shirt, gets rightly booked. Palmer is now responsible for two Bournemouth yellow cards.
34 min: Jackson shoots but straight at Travers who still had some saving to do. It was so simple. Jackson made a wonderful run inside the Bournemouth area and Colwill , under no pressure having carried for about 15 metres, slid a perfect pass that Jackson met first time. Best chance for Chelsea.
33 min: That period felt like a rugby match when the two fullbacks kick to each other. A string of ling balls until Travers hoofs it into touch. Lineout Throw-in for Chelsea around halfway.
31 min: It’s just not working for Chelsea. Palmer’s attempted slider for Jackson doesn’t come off and he throws his hands in the air in frustration after a break was on. Fofana is booked for a rough challenge in a central position, closer to the half-way line than his own goal.
30 min: Senesi makes a wonderful challenge inside his own area. It wouldn’t have mattered as Jackson was off-side as he received the cut against the grain pass from Madueke, who went on a storming run after Palmer’s little dummy sparked the move.
29 min: Chelsea keep the ball in their half but as soon as they try to work it upfield, with Disasi on the right, Bournemouth crowd the ball carrier and steal it back. They look really well organised.
27 min: Chelsea slow things down. Fofan and Colwill getting a few touches. Sanchez launches it long to Neto. Bournemouth won’t mind this.
25 min: This has been a really enjoyable game. End to end. Chelsea have had more than 70% of the ball but almost all the best chances have fallen to Bournemouth. There’s also an edge as both sets of players are getting stuck in.
Updated
23 min: Sanchez makes a great save as Kluivert snaps at a second ball that is flicked back from Evanilson following a cross from the left from Tavernier. Evanilson was deemed off-side but that was a lovely touch back for Kluivert who timed his support run to perfection. Sanchez still had to make a good save though and he did, down low to his right.
22 min: There’s a penalty shout as Semenyo goes down under a challenge from Cucurella. Not only was it soft but I don’t think it was inside the area. The appeal is waved away.
21 min: Caicedo’s delicious turn opens the midfield and he finds Veiga who then connects with Neto. Chelsea are flooding forward. They keep the ball in tight spots. Palmer and Madueke play a neat one two. There’s a deflection and Palmer suddenly has half a sniff inside the area but Bournemouth crowd the box and eventually get it away.
19 min: Christie is booked for a cynical clip on Palmer.
18 min: Tavernier shoots straight at Sanchez after a blistering break from Bournemouth. They moved the ball so quickly there. Lovely passing. It eventually went to Tavernier on the overlap down the left but his first touch took him wide and the shot had to be a lot better to beat Sanchez.
17 min: Neto on the left is Chelsea’s best threat at the minute. But Smith is doing well to keep him quiet. Chelsea get possession and slow it down before Neto again injects pace after linking with Cucurella. There’s a deflection and Chelsea have a corner. It’s taken short and Neto then floats one into the area. Madueke shoots and would you believe, it spirals out for a throw-in!
Updated
14 min: Semenyo shoots a daisy cutter from range but it was always skating wide. Lovely football in the build up. Tavernier, who has been lively, drove down the left, cut back and found Christie who swiftly moved it on for Semenyo. One touch to get it out his feet and he let fly. Just not enough power (or accuracy, really) but good stuff from the Cherries.
12 min: Caicedo does well to win the ball in midfield and he wastes no time moving it forward. But the pass doesn’t stick. Both teams are looking for that quick transition rather than control. Neto, though, drives down the left and whips a ball in. It had serious pace but is dealt with.
10 min: Jackson chases a stabbed pass through the Bournemouth line but Travers is there to mop up. A little later Palmer is clattered inside his own half. He’ll be a marked man throughout the piece. Cook is all over him so far.
8 min: Chelsea lose possession in a dangerous area and Tavernier has space to cross from the left. He finds Evanilson but the ball is a little too high and the header bobbles away tamely wide of Sanchez’s goal.
6 min: Madueke does well to wriggle some space for the shot on the edge of the Bournemouth area. He scuffs the effort but it takes a deflection and goes out for a corner. Nothing doing from the set piece so Chelsea recycle possession all the way back to Sanchez in goal.
5 min: Christie receives the ball on the edge of the Chelsea box and clips in a cute ball for a runner at the back post. It’s over cooked but was a smart idea. Bournemouth are rocking.
4 min: Travernier crunches the cross-bar! My goodness what a hit. From some distance and the angle from the left, he cut across the ball and it screamed towards the top corner but didn’t quite dip enough. That would have been a stunner!
3 min: The corner goes in but the flick on can’t find a Cheery. The ball spirals down the left and the attack fizzles out. Bournemouth are back in possession though. Bright start from the home side. They look composed.
2 min: Corner for Bournemouth as they pinch the ball in midfield and break. Semenyo slides past a defender and plays a ball out wide but the cross is deflected. There’s a big of argy bargy in the box so the corner is delayed.
Palmer kicks off and away we go!
Righto… the players have made their way out of the tunnel and are shaking hands and getting ready to go!
Bournemouth in their black and red stripes are playing a 4-5-1. Chelsea in a really slick white number with blue trim have gone for a 4-2-3-1.
Another Chelsea fan, Claire McConnell, has a bone to pick with our chief sports writer:
You ask how we fans feel re articles about Chelsea owners’ fighting. The article that annoyed me the most this week was by Barney Ronay, with the headline saying it was about the demise of Man U, and the first 2 paragraphs were all about Chelsea. Very cheap shot I thought.
Here is the offending article:
I’m interested to see how Nicolas Jackson goes up front for Chelsea.
This week he signed a nine year contract extension, keeping him at the club until 2033. Nine. Nine! Utter lunacy. I didn’t know they gave out contracts that long. I’m sure none of this will blow up in anyone’s face.
Good thing they’ve got 37 players in reserve.
🚨 @EnzoJ8Fernandez and @KDH__8 both miss tonight’s match due to illness. #CFC | #BOUCHE
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 14, 2024
Some strong views from Chelsea fan Matt Muir:
You asked Chelsea fans what they think of the ‘battle for supremacy’. This one thinks it’s a miserable example of exactly why private equity is a cancer. A plague on all their houses (though probably Eghbali’s, Stewart’s and Winstanley’s most of all). It’s horrible seeing your club being used (badly) as an investment vehicle; being a billionaire’s plaything was far more fun.
Thanks for all the hard work, it’s very much appreciated. Hope it’s an entertaining game for your sake.
Cheers Matt. And though I don’t have a dog in this fight, I hope you at least find some joy in the entertainment this evening. I feel your frustration.
It wasn’t too long ago that Jadon Sancho was considered one of the most exciting prospects in the English game.
But his career fell of a cliff in Manchester and it looked as if he’d never fulfil his promise.
He’s been given a second chance at Chelsea and has got the full backing of his new boss.
There have been more stories about Chelsea’s off-field operations than what they’ve produced on the pitch.
It’s great for journalists, like Jacob Steinberg, but must be maddening for their fans.
What do you make of this latest “battle for supremacy”?
I don’t believe it! For the second game in a row, Everton have seen a 2-0 lead become a 3-2 deficit. What on earth is wrong with that team?
So, what do we make of the teams?
The first thing to note is that Kepa Arrizabalaga is unavailable for Bournemouth as he’s on loan from Chelsea so Mark Travers starts in goal. Otherwise there’s just one change from that insane comeback win over Everton as Adam Smith replaces Julian Araujo.
Chelsea look a touch defensive. Two changes from their last outing as Axel Disasi and Renato Veiga replace the injured duo of Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez. Jadon Sancho could make his Chelsea debut off the bench.
Updated
Bournemouth v Chelsea line-ups
Bournemouth: Travers, Kerkez, Cook, Senesi, Evanilson, Christie, Smith (c), Tavernier, Kluivert, Semenyo, Zabarnyi.
Subs: Dennis, Huijsen, Brooks, Scott, Sinisterra, Araujo, Hill, Ennes Ünal, Philip.
Chelsea: Sanchez, Disasi, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella, Veiga, Caicedo (c), Palmer, Madueke, Neto, Jackson.
Subs: Jorgensen, Tosin, Badiashile, Casadei, Mudryk, Sancho, Feliz, Nkunku, Guiu.
Team sheet for Bournemouth (A). 📋#CFC | #BOUCHE pic.twitter.com/Yzfj2OmXgE
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 14, 2024
Your team for #BOUCHE 🍒🍒 pic.twitter.com/LkT0fxIH2x
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) September 14, 2024
Here’s a rundown of today’s matches with reports:
And over at Villa Park, Everton have once again blown a 2-0 lead and are now level thanks to a double from Ollie Watkins.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the final game of this stacked Saturday. We’ve already seen a kinda good, kinda terrible Man United trounce Southampton, Erling Haaland fail to score a hat-trick of hat-tricks and Nottingham Forest win at Anfield for the first time since 1969.
Have we saved the best for last? I certainly hope so. And if Bournemouth’s last outing – where they turned a 2-0 deficit at 86 minutes against Everton into a 3-2 win – is anything to go by, then we’re in for a treat.
Of course making predictions when Chelsea is involved is almost impossible. Never mind their erratic performances, their gargantuan squad means we genuinely don’t know who will turn up.
The Blues will start as favourites but Bournemouth’s players and fans can look at the league table and take confidence in the fact that their side sits three places above their guests this evening and – unlike their guests – are still undefeated.
It all gets going at 8pm BST but before then I’ll bring you news and updates from the camps as well as the line-ups once they drop.
As always, if you have any thoughts or feelings and fancy sharing them with the group, drop me a mail.
