Bournemouth 0–0 Chelsea: Stalemate, Missed Chances & Key Moments

Chelsea lined up in their usual 4-2-3-1 with Robert Sánchez in goal, a back four of Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, and Marc Cucurella, a midfield base of Reece James and Enzo Fernández and up front, a creative trio of Pedro Neto, Palmer and Alejandro Garnacho supporting Liam Delap.

Bournemouth’s starting XI featured Djordje Petrovic in goal, with a defence including Marcos Senesi and Adrien Truffert, and midfielder Alex Scott alongside a frontline built around Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson.

From kick-off, Chelsea dominated the ball they completed about 270 passes, versus Bournemouth’s

143 showing control and intent. But that dominance didn’t translate into danger. Bournemouth, meanwhile, absorbed the pressure and looked far more dangerous when they broke forward.

Just four minutes in, Antoine Semenyo pounced on a poor clearance from Chalobah and slotted home only for the goal to be chalked off after Evanilson was ruled offside. It was a warning sign for Chelsea’s defence, which looked shaky despite the possession stats. A few minutes later, Marcus Tavernier drifted past Fernández too easily and fired a low shot that Sánchez collected without fuss, underlining that Bournemouth weren’t in the match just to defend.

Despite the possession edge, Chelsea struggled to force chances. Their forward play lacked penetration, and even with Delap looking dangerous at times, the service and final ball just didn’t come together. Palmer, making his first start since returning from injury was back, but he looked tightly marked for the first half and rarely got time or space to influence play. As a result, Chelsea created few clear openings and failed to test their former teammate Petrovic in goal.

The game tilted away from Chelsea’s comfort zone as physicality crept in, especially between Delap and Senesi. After a heavy collision during a corner, Delap was forced off with a shoulder injury, a blow to Chelsea’s attacking hopes midway through the half. Marc Guiu came on, but the disruption was palpable.

Bournemouth capitalised. In the 34th minute, Semenyo again beat Gusto down the left and drilled a dangerous low ball toward the far corner, Sánchez produced a fine save, but the rebound fell to Evanilson, who somehow skewed the finish wide from yards out. It was a huge chance, and a stark reminder that while Chelsea had the ball, Bournemouth had the edge in danger.

As the first half wound down, Bournemouth pressed again, their transitions sharper, their intent clearer. Chelsea, for all their possession and passing, looked blunt in the final third.

Marcos Senesi had an excellent half for Bournemouth, dominating his duels and setting the tone physically. He read the game well, stepped in aggressively to break up Chelsea’s attempts to play between the lines, and forced Delap into a constant battle before ultimately winning it when the striker was forced off injured. His presence at the back gave Bournemouth control in key moments, and he looked one of the standout performers of the opening 45 minutes.

Palmer’s return quietly disappointed, Delap’s early exit disrupted Chelsea’s attacking shape, and Bournemouth’s direct threat left the visitors fortunate to leave the pitch level.

Chelsea began the second half with more urgency, but it was Bournemouth who threatened first. Within a minute of the restart, Tavernier went inches wide with a curling effort that had Sánchez beaten. Chelsea responded with a quick succession of efforts: Neto struck from distance in the 48th minute, and moments later Garnacho was denied by the woodwork as his header clipped the post. Enzo fired on the half-turn straight after, and Palmer added another attempt as Chelsea finally began to apply pressure.

Bournemouth suffered a setback when Senesi pulled up on 56 minutes, clearly unable to continue at full intensity. Chelsea made their own change soon after, with Palmer, who had been kept quiet throughout his first start since returning from injury, replaced by João Pedro. Guiu then forced a save with a low effort on the hour mark before Senesi was withdrawn entirely which was a huge loss for the Cherries, with Hill stepping in to stabilise Bournemouth’s back line.

One of the standout defensive moments of the match came on 67 minutes when Scott danced his way into the Chelsea box, only for Malo Gusto to time a superb last-ditch challenge to perfection. Chelsea’s wingers continued to look the brightest source of threat, and Garnacho again drifted inside and lashed an effort wide on 71 minutes with too much power, but positive intent.

Bournemouth made changes of their own, with Justin Kluivert replaced by Brooks and Jiménez making way for Adli. Chelsea soon introduced Estevão for Garnacho as they searched for greater sharpness in the final third. But it was Bournemouth who nearly struck next. On 79 minutes, Semenyo unleashed another powerful drive, forcing Sánchez into a sharp save at his near post.

Chelsea’s frustrations were summed up in the 82nd minute when João Pedro threaded a perfect ball across the Bournemouth defence, but no Chelsea player attacked it, letting it roll out for a goal kick. Guiu picked up a yellow card shortly after, before Bournemouth replaced Evanilson with Ünal. Enzo then sent another attempt over the bar as time began to run out, and Neto received a booking in stoppage time.

Despite a more assertive second-half performance from Chelsea, neither side found the breakthrough. The match ended 0–0, a stalemate defined by missed chances, strong defending, and two goalkeepers who delivered when called upon.