Chelsea 5-1 AFC Bournemouth: result and report

Report

Chelsea won 5-1, the home win most expected before kick-off. The margin is harder to trust, though, because AFC Bournemouth created about as much as Chelsea did.

The game turned inside three minutes. Jordan Henderson scored on two minutes from Cole Palmer's pass, then set up Morgan Rogers a minute later.

João Pedro made it 3-0 straight after the break, on 46 minutes, from Pedro Neto's pass. Evanilson pulled one back for AFC Bournemouth on 51 minutes, but the gap never closed further. João Pedro scored again on 67 minutes, set up by Pep Chavarría, and Henderson added the fifth three minutes later. That finished his afternoon with two goals and an assist, while no one else on the pitch had a bigger hand in the scoreline.

Chance quality against the scoreline

The expected goals were almost level: Chelsea 1.09, AFC Bournemouth 1.05. AFC Bournemouth also had more shots, seven to six, and more big chances, three to two.

The difference was finishing. All six of Chelsea's shots were on target, and five went in, while AFC Bournemouth's goalkeeper made only one save. Chelsea did test him more often than AFC Bournemouth tested Chelsea, with six shots on target to four. That is the one signal in their favour, because it shows their finishing was not pure luck.

AFC Bournemouth: more threat than the score shows

AFC Bournemouth had more of the attacking pressure despite the scoreline. They made 50 dangerous attacks to Chelsea's 22, the pressure figures leaned their way across the match, and possession was split evenly.

Their problem was turning that pressure into goals. They missed two of their three big chances, and Chelsea's goalkeeper made three saves. So the 5-1 reflects what happened in front of goal far more than the balance of the play.