5 Things Learned: Bournemouth 1-3 Chelsea | Premier League

Chelsea defeated Bournemouth 3-1 at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the Premier League.

The Blues picked up all three points as they journeyed to the south coast to take on Gary O’Neil’s team.

It was a positive start from the visitors, after nine minutes they found the advantage, N’Golo Kante’s ball in picked out Conor Gallagher, who headed past Neto.

The lead did not last long though, the Cherries answered back midway through the first half, a superbly worked goal was delightfully finished by Vina to tie the contest up.

There was no further change to the score-line before the half-time whistle.

In the second half, Chelsea came out the more positive of the two sides, but were unable to create any real clear cut chances.

The Blues wastefulness gave the hosts confidence, in the 70th minute they felt they should have had a penalty, Thiago Silva brought down Dominic Solanke but VAR did not award it.

That decision will have left Bournemouth fans extremely disappointed with what unfolded afterwards, Benoit Badiashile scored his first goal in a Chelsea shirt to give the Blues the lead in the 80th minute.

This lead was quickly doubled in the 86th minute, when substitute Joao Felix combined with Raheem Sterling to secure all three points for the travelling side.

Here are five things Absolute Chelsea learned from Saturday’s clash.

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1) Madueke the bright spark

Much like in midweek against Arsenal, Noni Madueke was one of the players who can walk away with his head held high. The winger was a threat all game and was causing headaches for the opposition defenders. While his final product could still potentially use some work, he is a very talented player.

2) 40 point mark

After picking up all three points, the Blues have finally made it to the 40 point mark. Chelsea moved 12 points clear of the relegation zone. While it is still mathematically possible for the west London side to go down, it would require Leicester City and Nottingham Forest to win every game and have the Blues not pick up a single point. Breathe easy, Chelsea fans!

3) The young players deserve minutes

With so little to play for until the end of the season, Chelsea must ensure they give the younger players in the squad as many opportunities as possible. In this contest, the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, Badiashile and Madueke all started – and shined. These players need to continue to be involved, so they can develop.

4) No confidence

The recent winless run has seen the confidence of the squad plummet. Scoring has been a problem all season, but it has somehow got worse. When in forward positions there are no risks being taken – it is safe passes and nothing creative. Fortunately, the Blues were able to break this mould by creating some late chances and snatching all three points.

5) Chelsea finally win under Lampard

The Blues have finally picked up their first win under interim boss Frank Lampard. It only took seven attempts, but it has happened. By defeating Bournemouth, Chelsea must take confidence from this result and carry it over into their upcoming games, even though they have very little to play for.