Bournemouth 2-2 Chelsea: Marcos Alonso double rescues Blues
Marcos Alonso scored twice as Chelsea came from behind to earn a point against struggling Bournemouth in an entertaining encounter at Vitality Stadium.
Wing-back Alonso followed in Olivier Giroud’s shot which had come back off the bar to open the scoring in the 33rd minute and struck again five minutes from time to rescue the Blues, whose top-four aspirations were dealt another blow.
It could have been much worse, however, after Eddie Howe’s side scored twice in three second-half minutes through Jefferson Lerma and Joshua King to leave the visitors stunned.
The Cherries, who remain two points above the Premier League relegation places, had made an excellent start but midfielder Philip Billing spurned two glorious opportunities inside the opening five minutes before Chelsea took control.
In a reversal of the first half, Giroud should have doubled Chelsea’s advantage within minutes of the restart, but Lerma’s 54th-minute equaliser saw another momentum swing.
The hosts fought hard defensively to protect their slender lead, but Chelsea’s late pressure eventually told as Alonso popped up in the right place once again.
The draw sees Chelsea edge four points clear of fifth-placed Manchester United, who face Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday (14:00 GMT).
- Bournemouth v Chelsea as it happened
- Reaction to Saturday’s Premier League games
Chelsea’s hold on fourth continues to slip
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Chelsea arrived at Vitality Stadium with one clear objective after they were comprehensively outclassed by Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday night – to claim three points and maintain their diminishing hold on fourth position at all costs.
A disheartening 3-0 home defeat by the German champions left Chelsea’s chances of reaching the quarter-finals in tatters, and while this season – Frank Lampard’s first as Chelsea boss and with the club initially operating under a transfer ban – had always been viewed as a transitional one, falling short of fourth would surely be viewed as a failure after building a nine-point cushion to fifth place in November.
The players responded to Lampard’s claim that their season “starts now” after defeat against Manchester United almost two weeks ago, beating another top-four rival Tottenham 2-1 last weekend to end a four-game winless run, but they were rather fortunate not to find themselves behind early on against a lively Bournemouth side.
They weathered an early storm that saw Billing twice allowed to shoot from close range, a Fikayo Tomori miskick at fault for one of those as he initially appeared uncertain in his first league start since December.
But the Blues patiently asserted themselves and Mason Mount’s saved attempt after eight minutes signalled the start of an otherwise dominant first-half display – though Jorginho’s needless 10th yellow card of the campaign and subsequent two-match suspension will not have pleased manager Lampard.
Alonso was frequently Chelsea’s furthest man forward and registered seven shots – more than anyone else – as he scored in consecutive Premier League games. Ultimately, it was the Spaniard’s determination to get into the box which eventually saved Lampard’s side.
And in the absence of injured top scorer Tammy Abraham, Giroud offered a reliable target to draw his team-mates into the box as Chelsea peppered the goal with 23 attempts.
With the outcome of Manchester City’s appeal against a two-year European ban uncertain, fourth spot still offers the Premier League’s last guarantee of Champions League football, and Lampard will certainly not want to leave Chelsea’s situation out of their own hands. With their late point, they have just about managed that for now.
“We’ve created a lot again, but we need to stick the ball in the back of the net,” said manager Lampard.
“I’m very happy for Marcos Alonso but when I think that my left-back is the one scoring the two goals and he scored our last goal in the league as well, and you’re creating that many chances in between, you have to question why we’re not finishing them.”
Bournemouth show they are up for the fight
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After recording a crucial win over Aston Villa at the start of the month, the Cherries had fallen to back-to-back defeats – including a disheartening 3-0 loss at Burnley last weekend – leaving them in real danger.
Teetering two points above the drop zone in the Premier League at the start of a run-in which included seven of the league’s current top eight teams over their next nine league fixtures, including Chelsea, Bournemouth boss Howe called for a “siege mentality” from his side.
His players responded appropriately, though they will be left to rue a host of early missed chances as Billing was unable to add to his sole league goal this season despite Tomori handing him the opportunity to make amends for a poor miss just two minutes earlier.
The return of central defender Nathan Ake and Lerma in midfield ensured Bournemouth stood firm under growing Chelsea pressure in the first half, but there was little they could do to prevent Alonso opening the scoring once Giroud’s flicked shot had grazed the bar.
That leaves Bournemouth with just one clean sheet in 17 games – their last in a 1-0 win over Chelsea in December.
The Cherries appeared to be struggling before Lerma fired in the equaliser, and with the home crowd now roaring Howe’s side on King’s tap-in from Stacey’s low cross completed a remarkable 176-second turnaround.
Bournemouth dropped deep in an attempt to see out their slender advantage, with Ramsdale providing the heroics in goal before Alonso dealt a cruel late blow.
With seven points fewer than at this stage last season, there is no mistaking Howe’s side remain in deep trouble as four points separate five sides in the fight to stay up.
It is easy to forget that 11 years ago the club fought back from a 17-point deduction to secure its Football League status – and there is plenty of evidence the current side is up for this rather different challenge now.
“The last five performances have been stronger and we’ve started to score goals and create chances from open play,” said Howe.
“We’re not where we want to be though, and it’s going to be really tight and a big battle to get the points we need from now until the end of the season.
“We’re prepared to fight for the challenge ahead, but I cannot predict what it will take for safety, it’s too tight.”
Man of the match – Marcos Alonso
Points shared for the first time – the stats
- This is the first draw between these sides in the Premier League, in what was their 10th meeting.
- Bournemouth have scored two or more goals in each of their past three home league games, having scored more than once in just three of their previous 17.
- Chelsea are winless in four Premier League away games – their longest run within the same season since a run of seven in 2015.
- Bournemouth’s Joshua King has scored in each of his past three home league games against Chelsea, scoring four times. He’s only scored more at home against West Ham (five).
- Since the start of last season, only Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold (24) has more Premier League assists than Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser (18).
- Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso scored his third brace in the Premier League, with all three coming away from home.
What’s next?
Chelsea host Liverpool in the FA Cup fifth round on Tuesday (19:45 GMT), before welcoming Everton to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday (14:00).
Bournemouth travel to Anfield to face league leaders Liverpool on Saturday (12:30).
Line-ups
Bournemouth
Substitutes
Chelsea
Substitutes
Match Stats
Live Text
Match ends, Bournemouth 2, Chelsea 2.
Full Time
Second Half ends, Bournemouth 2, Chelsea 2.
Attempt missed. Marcos Alonso (Chelsea) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by César Azpilicueta with a cross.
Attempt missed. Ross Barkley (Chelsea) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Marcos Alonso.
Booking
Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) is shown the yellow card.
Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Nathan Aké (Bournemouth).
Goal!
Goal! Bournemouth 2, Chelsea 2. Marcos Alonso (Chelsea) header from the centre of the box to the top left corner.
Attempt saved. Pedro (Chelsea) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by César Azpilicueta.
Attempt missed. Marcos Alonso (Chelsea) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
César Azpilicueta (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Callum Wilson (Bournemouth).
Attempt missed. César Azpilicueta (Chelsea) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Andreas Christensen following a corner.
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Philip Billing.
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Jefferson Lerma.
Substitution
Substitution, Bournemouth. Dan Gosling replaces Lewis Cook because of an injury.
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Callum Wilson.
Attempt blocked. César Azpilicueta (Chelsea) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt blocked. Pedro (Chelsea) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Junior Stanislas.
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Lewis Cook.
Attempt blocked. Marcos Alonso (Chelsea) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Mateo Kovacic.
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Nathan Aké.
Attempt blocked. Ross Barkley (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Pedro.
Offside, Chelsea. Marcos Alonso tries a through ball, but Michy Batshuayi is caught offside.
Substitution
Substitution, Chelsea. Michy Batshuayi replaces Olivier Giroud.
Booking
Andreas Christensen (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Andreas Christensen (Chelsea).
Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Ross Barkley (Chelsea) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Pedro.
Offside, Chelsea. Andreas Christensen tries a through ball, but Olivier Giroud is caught offside.
Substitution
Substitution, Bournemouth. Junior Stanislas replaces Joshua King.
Foul by Ross Barkley (Chelsea).
Adam Smith (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Olivier Giroud (Chelsea) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Reece James with a cross.
Substitution
Substitution, Chelsea. Ross Barkley replaces Jorginho.
Substitution
Substitution, Chelsea. Willian replaces Fikayo Tomori.
Attempt missed. Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Lewis Cook with a cross.
Attempt saved. Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Nathan Aké.
Attempt blocked. Nathan Aké (Bournemouth) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ryan Fraser with a cross.
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