Bournemouth v Chelsea: Premier League – live
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Our usual contributor for tonight, Matt Muir, has submitted a brief farewell:
"Sancho and Tosin did well, and it’s nice to come away with a win, but the game itself wasn’t very entertaining. Bournemouth can be proud of their performance and could argue they deserved at least a draw. However, it’s a bit odd to see a style of play that resembles a diluted version of Pep’s tactics, especially when no one has achieved success with it in the last ten years."
Tough but just as usual, Matt. Thanks, my friend. Celebrate the victory, even if it was a bit chaotic.
Nate Elliot is dissatisfied with the officiating in this game.
"If the league can impose fines on a club for not managing their players properly, why can't they also penalize the PGMOL for not supervising their referees?"
Honestly, I'm not so sure I feel the same way. I appreciate that players were cautioned for disputing the referee's decisions. In my view, that's the best way to prevent mistreatment of referees. Sure, there might have been a few questionable calls, but I didn’t see any major mistakes.
Final Whistle: Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea
The Blues take the win! Did they really earn it? I'm not so certain. However, life doesn’t always reward you based on what you deserve. Bournemouth struck the post twice in a match that set a record for the most yellow cards in Premier League history. In the end, though, what truly counts is the final score. Chelsea leaves with a clean sheet away from home and some great support from the substitutes. Mission accomplished for Chelsea!
90+6 min: Sancho is deservedly awarded player of the match. His assist was pivotal in changing the outcome of the game, and he stood out with his impressive performance on the left side during the second half.
90+6 minutes: There's still a chance for Semenyo to receive a yellow card. That's now the 14th card handed to a player, making it a total of 15 cards so far.
90+6 min: Sanchez pulls off an incredible save once again! Unal turns with the ball and suddenly finds a clear path ahead of him. He looks up, sees he has both time and room to take a shot, and fires it away. The ball is on its way to the bottom corner, but Sanchez is there to stop it.
90+5 min: Sanchez was impressive as he confidently came out to take control of the corner. Bournemouth is likely to have just one more chance at this.
At the 90+3 minute mark, the Chelsea fans have started to make some noise. However, their cheers quickly fade when the ball is lost, allowing Bournemouth a chance to attack—possibly their last opportunity. Chelsea manages to regain control, with Fofana winning the ball near the halfway line. But Bournemouth is back on the offensive. The pace is incredibly fast now. Billing races down to the byline and sends in a dangerous cross, but Colwill successfully blocks it. It could have easily deflected into the goal, but instead, it results in a corner kick.
"14 Yellow Cards: A Premier League Record"
It hasn't been the best match, but it will definitely go down in history! Surprisingly, there hasn't been a single red card yet. There's still time for that to change.
90 minutes in: Chelsea is in possession of the ball within Bournemouth's half, but instead of pushing for a goal, they are focusing on maintaining control. They realize that they've struggled for much of the match. Securing this victory would be significant for them. There will be six minutes of stoppage time.
Felix received a booking for a late tackle in the middle of the field, and I suspect this could be a record in the Premier League. I'll verify this information as soon as possible.
89 minutes in: Sanchez rushes off his line to clear the threat posed by a loose ball that was kicked forward. However, Semenyo manages to regain possession for Bournemouth and takes a shot from within Chelsea's penalty area. Colwill steps in to block the attempt and then gestures in celebration. That was impressive defending, no doubt about it!
88 minutes in: Veiga receives a yellow card for joining the fans in their celebrations. What a wild match this has turned out to be! That's now the seventh Chelsea player to get booked.
Chelsea Clinches Victory: Bournemouth 0-1
Did he score while coming off the bench? It’s not completely decided yet, but that goal could very well be the decisive one. Sancho has once again proven to be the key player. He sent a strong cross from the left side, and Nkunku turned in the box, getting a fortunate bounce off the two defenders who were on him. He tumbled as he took his shot but somehow still managed to find the back of the net, hitting it off the far post.
85 minutes into the game: Sinisterra gets the ball on the left flank and makes a run towards the penalty area. He skillfully maneuvers back inside, dodging two defenders, and unleashes a powerful shot. Although the attempt gets blocked, it looked threatening for a second. Bournemouth is aware that they can score late goals; this match isn’t finished yet.
83 minutes in, Tavernier, who played exceptionally well and hit the post earlier in the match, is substituted for Unal.
81 min: I'm surprised there wasn't another card shown. Cucurella tackled Scott from behind just as Bournemouth was gearing up for a fast counterattack in Chelsea's half. It was a pretty deliberate foul. Given that he was already on a yellow card, that may have worked in his favor.
80 minutes in: Senesi receives a yellow card. It’s a just decision since he tackled Felix from behind and brought him down hard.
79 minutes in: Jackson is substituted for Nkunku. I have to admit, I completely overlooked Jackson's presence on the field. He became nearly invisible as soon as Felix stepped into the game.
78 minutes: Felix skillfully controls a long pass with a cool touch in Bournemouth's penalty area. It was an impressive moment, but not entirely spot on as it steered him away from the goal. He attempted to flick a pass with his heel for the teammates coming up behind him, but it didn’t quite come off.
76 minutes in: Bournemouth puts together a tidy sequence, marking their first real offensive effort in what seems like forever. Billing showcases some impressive skill down the right side, but unfortunately, is called offside. After enduring pressure, it’s finally Bournemouth's turn to push forward. Billing shows great determination as he maneuvers past a defender, but gets knocked down while approaching the goal line. The referee doesn’t call a foul, resulting in a goal kick for Chelsea.
74 minutes in: Sancho is picking up speed. Chelsea's attacks are primarily coming down their left flank. Bournemouth now has two players focused on marking him. At the same time, the home team is making some substitutions. Kluivert and Smith, who must be exhausted from keeping up with Neto and then Sancho, are replaced by Billing and Araujo.
"Hey Dan, has the referee handed out any penalties to the audience for being too noisy? It seems like he’s really aiming for that yellow card record."
Not at the moment, Phillip Haran.
72 minutes in: Felix gets caught up and Bournemouth takes advantage of the situation. However, Veiga steps in with a superb tackle in midfield, using his long leg to intercept the play. He then charges forward, skipping past one defender and another, only to find himself in Bournemouth's penalty area. Unfortunately, he can't manage to get a shot off. Chelsea is gaining momentum now, with Palmer and Cucurella starting to converge around the Sancho-Felix connection, which is proving very effective on the left side.
In the 71st minute, Sancho and Felix work together once more. However, Felix struggles to create space as he reaches the left side near the goal line. His attempted cross gets deflected and then bounces back off his own leg, resulting in a goal kick for Bournemouth.
At the 70-minute mark, Sancho, Chelsea's standout player since his introduction, begins a promising attack down the left side with a skillful nutmeg. It’s impressive to watch. Unfortunately, the team struggles with teamwork; they can't seem to coordinate effectively. As a result, Bournemouth is able to regroup quickly and regain possession.
68 minutes: The corner is sent in with a lot of pace, but Travers manages to clear it with a punch. Bournemouth is making some substitutions now, bringing in Scott and Sinisterra to replace Christie and Evanilson.
66 minutes in: Chelsea has struggled to handle the ball effectively at times, yet they've shown some resilience when defending. Caicedo steps in to intercept Christie's pass that was aimed across the goal area, allowing Chelsea to initiate a counterattack. Felix takes the ball forward, passes it to Sancho, and then receives it back after executing a flashy flick. Chelsea maintains possession, and Sancho sends Cucurella down the left side where he overlaps. Cucurella's cutback from the edge of the box barely reaches Jackson, who spins around, tumbles down, and takes a shot. The ball deflects off a defender and goes wide, resulting in a corner for Chelsea.
At the 65-minute mark, Palmer, positioned on the right, starts to dribble and move but is unable to find a clear path, so he passes it back to Caicedo. Chelsea is trying to progress with the ball. Felix is in possession now. Caicedo, receiving it in the middle of the field, glances around but finds no options open, so he decides to take a shot from a long distance. However, his attempt is blocked, leading Bournemouth to send the ball upfield.
63 minutes: It's been a wild match, but Bournemouth really needs to score. Chelsea has the talent to sneak away with a victory. They haven't earned a draw. Kluivert is signaling to his teammates to relax.
61 minutes: Chelsea makes a few substitutions. Madueke and Disasi leave the field, replaced by Felix and Tosin. I expect Palmer will move over to the right side.
At the 60-minute mark, Kluivert received a yellow card for fouling Madueke, who was ahead of him on the outside. The match has seen a total of 10 yellow cards issued to players, plus one to a manager.
59 minutes: Christie nearly scores as he strikes the post! He pounced on a loose ball that was bouncing near the Chelsea penalty area and did a great job of keeping it low. His shot took a deflection off a Chelsea defender, hitting the post before rolling out for a corner. Chelsea is really on the back foot at this point.
58 min: There’s a change in the approach to the free-kick. Tavernier pretends to take a shot, but instead passes it along the front of the Chelsea wall. Semenyo makes a run to meet it and strikes it immediately with the side of his foot. However, his shot veers up and goes off target.
