Chelsea 2-0 Bournemouth (Havertz 16′, Mount 24′)
England’s beaten World Cup stars shone on their return to Premier League action for Chelsea as the Blues saw off Bournemouth with ease at Stamford Bridge.
Sterling was arguably Chelsea’s best player, finding space almost at will on the right, finding Kai Havertz in the box to set Graham Potter’s side on their way.
And it was his England team-mate Mason Mount who shook off any jet lag or latent disappointment at quarter-final defeat in Qatar to double the advantage, precisely bending the ball past a helpless Mark Travers from outside the box.
Chelsea let the game drift in the last half hour as Gary O’Neil’s substitutions gave Bournemouth a bit of incision, but even Jaidon Anthony’s spirited performance off the bench was not enough to break down the Blues.
There was a significant concern for Chelsea though, who already have the longest injury list in the Premier League. Reece James, playing for the first time in two-and-a-half months, went down with his head in his hands after 50 minutes and had to be replaced. He did walk off, but not happily.
Bournemouth didn’t lay a glove on them
Former Stoke, Crystal Palace and West Brom manager Tony Pulis
Chelsea player ratings
- Kepa Arrizabalaga: His two centre-halves were the biggest threat to his goal and he managed to punt away their misplaced passes whenever required. Largely untroubled, although did have to be alert to stop Christie late on. 7.
- Reece James: Looked very bright early on in first competitive appearance since 11 October and combined well with Sterling on that right flank. Very distressing to see him so upset after going down in the second half, although he did at least walk off under his own steam. “We’re going to have to see in the next 24, 48 hours” was all Potter could say on it. 8.
- Thiago Silva: Suffered an early knock to his knee that forced him off twice in the first half, only to return, but then hit a horrendous pass across the face of his own goal which almost cost Chelsea a penalty. Gave Kepa a nasty backpass in the 57th minute too that he could only stab for a throw-in. Overall, an unusually unassured performance. 6.
- Kalidou Koulibaly: Few little wobbles and nearly got Kepa into trouble shortly before the break but looked nice on the ball, even twisting his way to the edge of the box at one point only to be dragged down. Very nearly made it three with his head after a mighty leap to meet an Azpilicueta cross. 7.
- Marc Cucurella: Missed the entire “mixer” with an early free-kick but then picked out Havertz for the first chance of the game with a measured cross. Made a vital intervention too on a rare Bournemouth foray forward, denying Stacey as he looked to cut inside. 8.
- Denis Zakaria: A replacement for Mateo Kovacic, who is still on post-World Cup leave, suffered a nasty-looking head knock in the first half. Soldiered on and got forward well if without reward. Unspectacular but effective on Premier League debut. 7.
- Jorginho: Was allowed to control the game from deep in his own particular style without ever being bothered too much by the Bournemouth midfield. 7.
- Mason Mount: Brilliant finish from outside the box, finishing off a move he was central to, bending it round a defender into the bottom corner. Drove strongly from midfield on more than one occasion. Afforded far too much time and space. 8.
- Raheem Sterling: Drifted into space beautifully and then played a first-time to create the first goal. Understood his assignment on the right side of the forward line very well and the Cherries had few answers. Even after the change in shape and James went off, Sterling was still a constant danger. 9.
- Kai Havertz: Poor header from seven yards was well over and made a very good chance look ordinary, but capitalised 10 minutes later when Sterling put one on a plate. Then laid the ball off very nicely for Mount to add a second. 8.
- Christian Pulisic: Thought he had a penalty and later a goal, but saw both denied by the referee. Had those gone the other way, this number might have been much higher. 6.
Substitutes
- Cesar Azpilicueta (for James 54′): Not the same full-back as James but still got forward well and created several chances. 7.
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (for Pulisic 82′): n/a
- Conor Gallagher (for Zakaria 82′): n/a
Bournemouth player ratings
- Mark Travers: Could do nothing about the first two goals, and prevented it becoming three first-half goals with a strong left hand to deny Sterling. 7.
- Jack Stacey: Started off at wing-back but was then allowed to move further forward as Gary O’Neil realised the 5-3-2 was causing his own team as many problems as it was the opposition. Very nearly broke through in the first half but was crooked at half-time. 6.
- Adam Smith: A little fortunate not to be penalised for an early shirt pull on Pulisic, then much more comfortable when shifted into a back four. 5.
- Marcos Senesi: Part of a defensive line that was porous as a five and fragile as a four. 6.
- Lloyd Kelly: Hard to blame skipper for an entire performance but they needed leadership in the first hour and seemingly received none. 5.
- Jordan Zemura: Probably the toughest job on the pitch, dealing with the marauding Sterling-James combination. Failed though. 4.
- Lewis Cook: Remarkable to think that Cook won an England cap four years ago and the clamour for him to do so was widespread. There are no such cries any more. 6.
- Jefferson Lerma: Tony Pulis fumed at half-time that no Cherry had “put a challenge” in on Chelsea, something Lerma is usually extremely keen to do. In fact, he did not manage a single tackle and his bursts forward were either hare-brained or overly casual. 5.
- Phillip Billing: Often fancied as a player of a higher level than Bournemouth but struggled on a night when they needed someone like him to step up and break the lines. Did not make much of an impact at all. 4.
- Dominic Solanke: Similarly, had to feed on scraps for large parts of the game but did create moments of penetration in behind Chelsea’s adventurous full-backs. Bournemouth’s most danger player by a distance. 7.
- Kieffer Moore: Cut a frustrated figure with almost no service and often asked to run a lone, high press – which is not the 6ft 5in striker’s strong point. 6.
Substitutes
- Jaidon Anthony (for Stacey, 46′): Managed a shot on target, which was a novelty, but it was straight at Kepa. 6.
- Ryan Christie (for Billing, 66′): Positive impact on the game after coming on, able to get into the Chelsea box as the game started to drift. 7.
- Siriki Dembele (for Moore, 85′): n/a
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