Chelsea substitute Christopher Nkunku scored in the 86th minute to secure a 1-0 win at Bournemouth in a game that saw 14 yellow cards – a Premier League record – on Saturday.
Bournemouth hit the woodwork twice and Evanilson’s first-half penalty was saved by Robert Sánchez.
But Chelsea finished the game strongly and Nkunku, who came on as a substitute in the 79th minute, scored from close range to give the Londoners their second away win in a row.
Chelsea moved up to seventh place with seven points from four games, while Bournemouth are in eleventh place with five points.
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Even though the performance of Enzo Maresca’s team, which had a lot of luck in the first half, was not entirely convincing, there are still many positives to be taken from the game on the south coast.
They ended a run of 17 Premier League away games without conceding a goal and gave the debut of on-loan Jadon Sancho, who impressed as a second-half substitute and showed plenty of resilience.
“We had problems in the first half, but we were miles better in the second,” said Maresca. “We didn’t win many balls in the first half and that’s what you need in this stadium against this team.”
However, Bournemouth had to pay a heavy price for failing to take advantage of their chances.
“We had more of everything, more shots, more corners, but in the end it really comes down to scoring a goal and they did that in the end,” said Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola.
A game full of chances and minor fouls seemed to be heading for an unlikely draw until Sancho, on loan from Manchester United, played the ball to Nkunku, who turned sharply with great power and fired the ball past goalkeeper Mark Travers with the toe of his foot.
A game full of chances and minor fouls seemed to be heading for an unlikely draw until Sancho, on loan from Manchester United, played the ball to Nkunku, who showed great strength, turned sharply and fired the ball past goalkeeper Mark Travers with the toe of his foot.
Sancho’s role in goal crowned a spectacular debut for the winger, who finished runner-up in the Champions League final last season while on loan to Borussia Dortmund.
“Jadon is a very good player and can help us,” said Maresca. “I don’t care about all the noise around him. He is very polite with us and trains well with and without the ball.”
Bournemouth had the better performance in the first half when Marcus Tavernier hit the crossbar with a long-range shot in the fourth minute.
At the other end, Travers parried a shot from Nicolas Jackson, but Bournemouth looked to be taking the lead when Brazilian Evanilson was brought down by Chelsea goalkeeper Sanchez in the 36th minute.
However, Sanchez made up for it by saving Evanilson’s penalty well and securing his team’s draw.
Chelsea brought Sancho on for Pedro Neto in the second half and he was at his very best.
But Bournemouth still had the better chances to score, with Sanchez parrying a shot from Justin Kluivert before Ryan Christie hit the outside of the post with a central defender.
However, Chelsea weathered the storm and Nkunku sent the away fans home happy.
Although referee Anthony Taylor’s yellow card made for a busy evening, most of the bookings were for petty fouls or players talking back to the referee. In total, eight Chelsea players were cautioned.
“For me it’s not a problem to get so many yellow cards. It is what it is. Sometimes the game dictates how you have to behave,” said Maresca.
