Chelsea were handed a thumping 4-0 loss at the Vitality Stadium by Bournemouth last night as they went down to the fifth place in the Premier League table. It is fair to say that no one would have seen that result coming in as the Blues were blown away by the Cherries.
The game ebbed and flow from one end to the other and Eddie Howe’s side looked more intent on winning. They created some decent chances in the first half but were thwarted by some routine saves from Kepa. Josh King opened the scoring, and that opened the floodgates as the Blues defence was at sixes and sevens. King managed a brace, and David Brooks and Charlie Daniels added more misery by inflicting a massive loss on Sarri’s men.
Here is how the Pensioners fared.
Kepa Arrizabalaga 5
Couldn’t have done much for the all the goals he conceded as the Bournemouth players found themselves in free space. Made some decent saves in the first half to keep his side in the game.
Emerson Palmieri 4
Sarri decided to go with Emerson in this tie, but his performance wouldn’t have done him any favours. Bournemouth built quite a few attacks from the left and Emerson struggled defensively.
David Luiz 3.5
On the ball, he was brilliant once again. But the Brazilian always has one or two mistakes in his game, and it was just another instance when he had some brain freeze moments. His error led to the second goal which gave the home team breathing space.
Antonio Rudiger 4
Did alright in the first half but was ripped apart in the second as the likes of Joshua King found themselves in acres of space.
Cesar Azpilicueta 3
Looked good while going forward and did his job well in the first half. However, was out of position on various occasions in the second half and was found wanting.
Jorginho 3
Defensively he was pathetic as he was way too weak in his challenges and was bypassed with ease on various occasions. Couldn’t create much when in possession.
Ngolo Kante 4
Continued to play in a higher position. Tried to link up play but wasn’t too effective. Chelsea were trailing, and Kante was usually found up the pitch, and that opened up a vast space in midfield for the home side which they took advantage of on the night.
Mateo Kovacic 4.5
Looked sharp in possession in the first half. Came close to scoring as well. However, the Croatian was nowhere to be seen in the second half, and the Blues were unable to get him on the ball in the attacking areas.
Pedro 3.5
Made some loose passes and was caught in possession. Nothing much to offer from the wide areas as his crossing was usually well off the mark.
Eden Hazard 4.5
Didn’t get any chance to influence the game. Drifted everywhere across the pitch but Eddie Howe’s men had him under check. Like most of his other team-mates, he was lost in the second half as Bournemouth enjoyed a field day.
Gonzalo Higuain 4
Never looked like scoring and clearly looked out of place. Needs some time to get used to his new teammates so can’t be too harsh on him right now.
Substitutes
Willian 4
Didn’t make much impact after coming on.
Olivier Giroud 5
Never managed to get into the game as Chelsea were unable to get the ball forward.
Ruben Loftus Cheek N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
