Chelsea went five straight Premier League games without a win as they held Bournemouth to a 2-2 draw.
Cole Palmer opened the scoring in a truly dominant first half but, as has been the case of late, Chelsea fell apart after the break as Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo gave the Cherries the lead.
Chelsea’s heads appeared to have fallen, only for the returning Reece James to parry an injury-time free-kick past Mark Travers to give his side a share of the points.
How the game developed
Enzo Fernandez wasn’t quick enough to convert a chance within the first 60 seconds, but Chelsea didn’t have to wait long to celebrate their opener as Cole Palmer trembled towards the corner flag after 13 minutes.
Nicolas Jackson’s excellent footwork was followed by a perfect pass to Palmer, who brought down Mark Travers with a wonderful fake before calmly slotting into the bottom corner.
Travers did well to deny Fernandez on the half-hour mark and Jackson somehow shot over the bar soon after after Noni Madueke’s run gave him an excellent chance just meters from goal.
Kluivert hit the post after a poor free-kick from Robert Sanchez almost gave Bournemouth an unlikely route back into the game, before Jackson saw his own effort hit the woodwork just seconds later.
Just before half-time, Jackson had his head in his hands again when a low header drew an excellent save from Travers, whose heroics ensured Chelsea were only 1-0 up at the break.
Bournemouth had a chance to get back into the game just three minutes after the restart when Moises Caicedo knocked down Semenyo in the penalty area. Kluivert stepped forward, who dropped down the middle to finish off the score.
The Cherries’ momentum was almost immediately halted when the VAR ordered a check following a foul by David Brooks which caught Marc Cucurella in the face. The assistant recommended a red card for violent behavior, but the field official opted for a yellow card instead.
Bournemouth didn’t shy away and Semenyo gave the visitors a huge lead with 20 minutes to go. A thunderous finish from a tight angle was just too powerful for Robert Sanchez, who couldn’t get past quickly enough to prevent his side from falling behind.
It seemed most likely that the hosts would score the next goal, but it was Chelsea who equalized in stoppage time. Reece James came off the bench to direct a wonderful free kick into the goal and save the Blues a point.
Axel Disasi’s absence from the matchday squad was notable as it came with significant uncertainty over his future. Maresca rarely lists players who should leave the club.
This makes the presence of Christopher Nkunku and Renato Veiga on the Chelsea bench particularly interesting. A move to the Bundesliga has been mooted for both – Bayern Munich are targeting the former, Borussia Dortmund the latter – but Maresca’s decision to include both, even if neither came off the bench, could suggest departures are anything but are safe.
Why Jackson didn’t score in that game will forever remain a mystery.
In the early stages, Chelsea’s striker shot over from close range before hitting the post and then parrying a close-range header in the first half that could easily have given Jackson a hat-trick on another day.
That wastefulness was punished when Bournemouth scored twice in the second half, turning an easy win for Chelsea into a desperate draw.
This game really got going at the start of the second half. Justin Kluivert equalized with a penalty before David Brooks found himself in a disciplinary tightrope.
As Chelsea attempted to counter from Robert Sanchez, Brooks extended his arm to stop Marc Cucurella, clearly catching the Chelsea full-back high. A VAR review followed and despite the assistant’s recommendation of a red card, the on-field referee decided that a yellow card was the correct course of action.
Chelsea were clearly stunned when Brooks was allowed to finish this game and perhaps that left them shaken when the problems took over again in the second half.
Josh Acheampong seems to have firmly played his way into Maresca’s starting lineup. The prolific Tosin Adarabioyo was on the bench as the Cobham graduate started his second successive Premier League game.
It was a quieter game for the 18-year-old compared to his previous appearance against Crystal Palace, but Acheampong faced his first real test of his quality in the Premier League when he was mobbed by Antoine Semenyo for Bournemouth’s second goal.
He retired shortly afterwards, but fortunately was still greeted with huge applause by the Stamford Bridge crowd.