Jordan Henderson scored his first Chelsea goals to help his new side to a dominant victory over Bournemouth.
The 36-year-old midfielder, making his home debut, fired in off the post after just 68 seconds, before adding a second after the break. Joao Pedro also scored twice, while Morgan Rogers was on target.
Evanilson pulled one back to briefly give Bournemouth hope at 3-1, but the Cherries remain winless in the Premier League under new manager Marco Rose.
Chelsea’s romp began in the second minute when Henderson scored with their first shot of the game, curling a shot in off the inside of the post after being played through by Cole Palmer, who signed a new contract until 2034 in the hours before kick-off.
Just 84 seconds later, Henderson played in Rogers, whose cross-shot was flicked over Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic by defender Antonio Silva. Rogers was awarded his fourth goal of the season after a check by the video assistant referee.
Having given the ball away too often in the opening few minutes, Bournemouth threatened to pull one back, but Brazilian forward Rayan flashed a shot over before the Cherries briefly began to settle.
However, Henderson threatened to extend Chelsea’s lead midway through the half with a lofted effort from the edge of the box.
Rayan had another one-on-one effort saved in the 35th minute before Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez denied Ryan Christie at the other end. Bournemouth defender Silva also had a header saved just before half-time.
Bournemouth brought on Ben Gannon-Doak at half-time, but 30 seconds later they were 3-0 down.
Joao Pedro fired into the top right-hand corner after Pedro Neto reacted well to another Silva mistake in the box.
Evanilson pulled one back five minutes later when Moises Caicedo’s clearance ricocheted off him after a dangerous corner fell at his feet inside the six-yard box.
But Joao Pedro tapped in a Pep Chavarria cross moments later before Henderson curled a 25-yard free-kick past Petrovic to round off the scoring.
Chelsea’s first win in four matches lifts them into the top five. Bournemouth, meanwhile, are only outside of the relegation zone on goal difference.
Henderson and Caicedo together at last
There was a moment in the 30th minute when Palmer accidentally pushed Ryan Christie into a collision with Caicedo, with the Chelsea midfielder coming off worse.
After spending a few moments on the ground, the Ecuador international got to his feet to applause from the Stamford Bridge crowd.
The reaction was one of relief from the home supporters, who have been concerned about Chelsea’s midfield options during the opening weeks of the season.
Caicedo had played only 14 minutes this season after suffering a recurrence of a calf problem during his substitute appearance against former club Brighton.
Meanwhile, his midfield partner Henderson had been recovering from an arm injury sustained at the World Cup with England after he fell awkwardly while jumping over an advertising hoarding during celebrations following a win over Mexico.
Having tried four different midfield combinations and named the same pairing in consecutive matches only once, Chelsea were able to start Henderson and Caicedo together for the first time.
Henderson impressed during his first full appearance for the club in the win at Brentford before the international break.
He was also signed for his leadership qualities as one of three players aged over 30, alongside Danny Welbeck and Emiliano Martinez, recruited to add experience to what had been the Premier League’s youngest squad last season.
However, Caicedo is widely regarded as one of Chelsea’s most important players, particularly after the club failed to sign any of their midfield targets on transfer deadline day.
Having conceded a league-high 12 goals in their opening five matches before Saturday, Chelsea allowed just one against Bournemouth, their lowest tally in a game against Premier League opposition this season.
A clean sheet still eludes them, but manager Xabi Alonso will be encouraged by the greater solidity provided by Caicedo and Henderson in midfield, as an attack featuring Pedro, Rogers and Palmer continues to deliver.
Cherries made to pay for mistakes
Bournemouth’s winless run had previously been defined by conceding late goals, but early goals were the problem on Saturday.
They were arguably unfortunate to fall behind to Henderson’s fine strike, but they were poor in possession throughout the first half and invited pressure.
That’s exactly what happened as Rogers curled in Chelsea’s second of the match.
Two goals down after two minutes and 30 seconds, it was always going to be difficult to take anything from Chelsea, but another mistake by Silva moments after the interval will be a concern for Rose.
It is only the second time Bournemouth have failed to win any of their opening six matches of a Premier League season.
The previous occasion came under Rose’s predecessor Andoni Iraola, who went nine games without a win before becoming arguably the most successful manager in the club’s modern history.
There are, of course, problems the German coach could not have accounted for as he tries to balance their league form with a first European campaign.
He lost star midfielder Alex Scott to injury over the international break after he started his first game for England despite carrying a knock in the build-up to the match.
Scott is now expected to be out for up to six weeks, while key attacker Eli Junior Kroupi remains is not due back until November after suffering a significant injury in pre-season.
“We played not good so it was a deserved loss, especially if we start how we started in both halves of the game,” said Rose.
“We know Chelsea is a team that starts well and scores many goals at the beginning of the game. It’s my fault we didn’t react well to this information.
“In the past games, we struggled despite good performances with poor moments. Today, we struggled but had some good moments.
“We were not ready, not sharp enough, even our pressing was not Bournemouth-like in many situations. We just didn’t play a good game and this can happen. We need to face the reality of three points from six games.”
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Source link
