MX23RW : Saturday, November 23 02:39:27| >> :120:12043:12043:
[monks data]
Attendance: 10,998
Bournemouth logo
Premier League
Oct 28, 2017 at 5.30pm UK
 
Chelsea logo

0-1

FT(HT: 0-0)
Hazard (51')

Eden Hazard fires Chelsea past Bournemouth

Eden Hazard scores the only goal of the game as Chelsea climb back into the top four courtesy of a 1-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

Chelsea have climbed back into the top four of the Premier League table courtesy of a narrow 1-0 victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium this evening.

Results elsewhere had seen the champions slip down to fifth ahead of kickoff, 12 points adrift of leaders Manchester City, but Eden Hazard scored the only goal of the game to restore that gap back to nine and lift Antonio Conte's side above Arsenal into the final Champions League position.

Eden Hazard scores during the Premier League game between Bournemouth and Chelsea on October 28, 2017© SilverHub

Chelsea quickly took control of possession and had the first sight of goal when Pedro darted past former teammate Nathan Ake only to then blaze his effort over the crossbar from 25 yards.

Clear chances were few and far between during the opening exchanges, although Benik Afobe should have done better in the 17th minute when his pass to an unmarked Charlie Daniels forced the full-back too far wide and wasted a promising attacking platform.

Chelsea responded with a chance of their own, but two low crosses from Hazard in quick succession were dealt with by Asmir Begovic.

The former Chelsea keeper was at fault for the first gilt-edge chance of the contest, though, as his clearance went straight to Hazard, who in turn played the ball through for Alvaro Morata. The Spaniard only had the keeper to beat, but he put his finish wide of the target to spare Begovic's blushes.

Tiemoue Bakayoko then planted a header straight at the Bournemouth keeper before Chelsea did have the ball in the back of the net, only for Morata's strike to be disallowed for a tight offside call against Cesar Azpilicueta.

A blue-locked Tiemoue Bakayoko and Lewis Cook in action during the Premier League game between Bournemouth and Chelsea on October 28, 2017© SilverHub

The visitors' pressure continued to grow, though, and Morata came close again with 10 minutes remaining of the first half when he was denied by a fine stop from Begovic.

Cesc Fabregas was the next to come close for Chelsea, but both of his efforts were blocked in a crowded penalty as Bournemouth continued to pack men behind the ball.

The Cherries brought on Jordon Ibe in place of Jermain Defoe at half time and began the second half in more adventurous fashion, but they fell behind within six minutes of the restart when Simon Francis failed to cut out Morata's ball to Hazard, who collected it and went on to beat Begovic with a powerful drive at the near post.

The hosts almost came up with a quick response, though, with Junior Stanislas capitalising on a defensive mix-up to find Ibe, who blasted his effort narrowly over the crossbar from the edge of the box.

David Luiz and Benik Afobe in action during the Premier League game between Bournemouth and Chelsea on October 28, 2017© SilverHub

Chelsea soon resumed control of proceedings, with Hazard and Pedro both threatening a second goal which would have all but killed Bournemouth's hopes off.

The hosts also suffered injury blows with Stanislas and Afobe limping off, but the latter's replacement Callum Wilson almost made an immediate impact on his first Premier League appearance of the season when his close-range effort was thwarted by a fine Azpilicueta block.

Fabregas's wait for his 50th Premier League goal ultimately went on, but the Spaniard had the chance to bring up the milestone with just seven minutes remaining when he collected a pass from Hazard only to scoop his finish over the crossbar from a tight angle.

Bournemouth had to wait until the 93rd minute for their first shot on target, and it almost earned them a point as Steve Cook blasted an effort towards goal which Thibaut Courtois was able to hold on to.

That proved to be the one and only scare for Chelsea, though, as they held out for a third consecutive victory across all competitions to get an important week off to a winning start with matches against Roma and Manchester United to come.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, remain in 19th place and still one point from safety having failed to improve on their worst start to a season since winning promotion to the Premier League.

ID:310617: cacheID:310617:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8245:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Leeds United manager Garry Monk on November 29, 2016
Read Next:
Monk: 'Scoreline flattered Bournemouth'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!