A stoppage-time free kick by Reece James rescued a point for Chelsea as they drew 2-2 with AFC Bournemouth, although their winless run in the Premier League stretched to five matches.
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The home side dominated the opening stages of the encounter and went ahead early on through a nerveless finish by Cole Palmer after great work by Nicolas Jackson.
The Cherries equalised five minutes into the second half through Justin Kluivert’s penalty after Antoine Semenyo was fouled in the area, before Semenyo put the away side in front with a thunderous finish.
The visitors looked to have hung on for a first win at Stamford Bridge since 2019 but were undone through James’ sumptuous effort in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Chelsea remain fourth in the table, while Bournemouth stay seventh and trail fifth-placed Newcastle United by just one point, having played one match more.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
20 | +28 | 47 |
| 2 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
21 | +10 | 41 |
| 3 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
20 | +21 | 40 |
| 4 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
21 | +15 | 37 |
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
20 | +12 | 35 |
| 6 |
Man City
MCI
|
21 | +9 | 35 |
| 7 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
21 | +7 | 34 |
How the match unfolded
The Blues took the lead with their first opportunity of the match as Jackson saw him wriggle away into space and thread a perfectly-weighted pass to Palmer, who coolly slotted home.
A crazy minute towards the end of the half saw Kluivert hit the post after getting on the end of a cutback by David Brooks. Chelsea then broke quickly, with Jackson also rattling the woodwork.
The Senegalese had another chance with a header on the stroke of half-time, but Mark Travers clawed it away from danger.
Bournemouth were awarded a penalty five minutes into the second half after Moises Caicedo bundled over Semenyo, with Kluivert sending Robert Sanchez the wrong way.
The away side then got ahead as Semenyo glided past Josh Acheampong before crashing an effort into the roof of the net.
Chelsea offered little as an attacking threat during the latter stages of the match but still earned a point following a moment of quality from substitute James.
Late point doesn’t paper over Chelsea cracks
Despite a 5-0 victory over Morecambe in the third round of the FA Cup at the weekend, Enzo Maresca’s side have endured a worrying slump in league form which has seen his side slide down the table after almost going top before Christmas.
They did start well, going ahead early on through Palmer. Looking to press home their advantage, Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho had threatening efforts blocked deep in Bournemouth’s penalty area.
Jackson could have scored a hat-trick before the half-time whistle and his lack of ruthlessness in front of goal once again will cause concern for Maresca and Chelsea.
Another running theme has been Chelsea’s inability to hold onto leads, with the Blues now squandering one-goal advantages against Fulham, Crystal Palace and tonight’s opponents during this recent run.
A positive, however, will be the return of James and a moment of quality by him towards the end in another season that has been blighted by injury.
Chelsea next play Wolverhampton Wanderers at home in five days as they look to get their league form back on track and earn their first Premier League win of 2025.
Cherries run continues despite late blow
The Cherries are enjoying a fine season and came into the match on the back of a 5-1 win over West Brom in the FA Cup at the weekend. That result outlined the strength of Andoni Iraola’s squad despite recent injuries to Enes Unal and Evanilson, while they are now 10 without defeat in all competitions.
They started this contest slowly, with a lack of attacking impetus in the first half save for Kluivert striking the post as Semenyo remained isolated.
But they defended their box brilliantly, with defender Illia Zabarnyi blocking everything in sight and managing to keep a free-flowing Chelsea at bay for large swathes of the half.
They were much-improved going forward after the break, earning an early penalty and stretching Chelsea’s backline before Semenyo popped up with a goal that looked to have handed them all three points before James’ late free kick.
Iraola will hope for another decent performance when his side travel to St James’ Park to face Newcastle on Saturday.
Club reports
Chelsea report | Bournemouth report
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Chelsea have dropped seven points from winning positions in their last four Premier League matches (D2 L2), more than any other team since Boxing Day, having only dropped two points across their first 17 matches in the competition this season (W10 D5 L2).
Bournemouth extend their longest unbeaten run in the Premier League to nine matches (W5 D4), they last had a longer run in any tier in October 2021 (a run of 15 in the Championship).
Palmer has been directly involved in 53 goals (36 goals, 17 assists) in his 50 Premier League starts for Chelsea, only Erling Haaland (64 for Man City) and Andrew Cole (57 for Newcastle United) have ever registered more goals and assists in their first 50 starts in the competition for one club.
Jackson had seven shots against Bournemouth, the most in the match and his joint-most in a Premier League match, the last Chelsea player to have more attempts without scoring in the competition was Diego Costa (nine) against Crystal Palace in April 2017.
