First the delay, then the wild, disbelieving celebrations. As the wait went on Bournemouth began to sense the VAR check was going to fall in their favour. Dan Gosling, more alert than anyone in a Chelsea shirt when his big opportunity arrived, had a feeling the linesman was wrong to flag him offside. The midfielder ran towards the big screen that was signalling his disallowed goal was being reviewed and before long he was being mobbed by his jubilant teammates, whose spirit and fearlessness ensured that Eddie Howe’s gameplan worked perfectly.
While Howe beamed on the touchline, Frank Lampard watched helplessly. No wonder Chelsea’s manager wants to bring in greater quality up front. This was another uninspired, disjointed performance on home soil from Chelsea’s attackers and it will convince Lampard of the need to address his inconsistent team’s creativity deficit during the January transfer window.
Chelsea, whose hold on fourth place looks increasingly uncertain after four defeats in five league games, were out of ideas long before the end and they are developing an unfortunate habit of stumbling against teams in crisis. A fortnight ago it was a home defeat against West Ham, last week it was Everton and this time it was a Bournemouth side missing their first-choice centre-backs, a host of wingers and their main forward.
Bournemouth rose four points above the bottom three after halting a five-match losing run with their first win since 2 November. They were impressive for a team supposedly on the slide. Ryan Fraser was a scurrying presence on the left, running at César Azpilicueta and testing Kepa Arrizabalaga with a low drive in the third minute. Jefferson Lerma cut off the supply lines to Mason Mount, Chelsea’s No 10. Gosling never stopped running on his first start this season and Joshua King, who was a doubt with a hamstring injury, was an energetic menace in the second half.
“We needed it,” Howe said. “Today has been the best we have fought, the best we’ve competed, the most desire I have seen from the group. I don’t feel there has been a lack of effort but when things have gone against us there has been a feeling of everything conspiring to try to break us. We never had those moments and were able to build the other way.”
Chelsea looked weary after reaching the last 16 of the Champions League during the week and Lampard was unhappy with his side’s slow passing. “If you’re transferring the ball transfer it quickly,” he said. “If you’re playing through the lines get it through the lines. If you’re an attacking player get at people, don’t play safe.”
There were flickers from Chelsea. After eight minutes Jorginho released Mount, whose dinked effort was saved by Aaron Ramsdale, and Tammy Abraham clipped an early chance wide. Yet there was a sterile feel to Chelsea’s territorial dominance. Willian’s deliveries from the right were predictable and Christian Pulisic never shook off Jack Stacey, Bournemouth’s diligent right-back.
It should have not been such a slog. Bournemouth’s defence was shorn of Steve Cook and the hamstrung Nathan Aké, a £40m target for Chelsea, but Simon Francis and Chris Mepham shackled Abraham. Bournemouth also showed belief on the ball, even though they were without Callum Wilson up front.
A soporific first half fitted the pattern of Chelsea’s home games this season. They have scored 11 goals in the league at Stamford Bridge and another failure to seize the initiative against a deep defence left Lampard questioning his players’ personality.
“I don’t know about fear but in front of our own fans it’s clear now we aren’t playing well enough and getting enough results,” he said. “Up until now I think a lot of it was we’re not taking enough chances because we’re creating a lot and we’re giving away some silly goals. Today wasn’t a ‘We’re creating loads of chances day’. We just didn’t get the fans excited enough. The fans shouldn’t be excited if we’re going to play 10 balls across our back four. That’s not the team I want to manage.”
Nothing worked for Chelsea, even after the introduction of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mateo Kovacic. Willian’s corners kept hitting the first man and Bournemouth were lively on the break after the interval. King broke Chelsea’s offside trap three times. All that was missing was a touch of composure from the striker, typified by the moment when he failed to give Gosling a tap-in.
Chelsea almost snatched the points when Ramsdale repelled Emerson Palmieri’s header. It would have been undeserved and Bournemouth took the lead when Gosling, onside by a yard, collected a header back into the area and hooked the ball over Arrizabalaga. Azpilicueta’s effort to clear off the line was in vain and Bournemouth had triumphed here for the third time in five visits.
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