Bournemouth v Chelsea player ratings
Christopher Nkunku’s late goal gave Chelsea victory on the south coast. Here’s how we rated each Blues player in the 1-0 win over Bournemouth.
Robert Sanchez: 8
Made a superb first-half penalty save from Evanilson after he conceded the spot-kick for body-checking the striker. Had little option but to bring down Evanilson down after Wesley Fofana’s poor back-pass. Denied Bournemouth with big saves throughout the evening that kept Chelsea in the game long enough to snatch a winner.
Axel Disasi: 6
Should have been punished when he was caught sleeping during a Bournemouth counter-attack that led to a good chance for Justin Kluivert. Looked a bit more assured in the second half before being replaced on the hour mark.
Wesley Fofana: 5
Bailed out by Sanchez’s penalty save after he left his goalkeeper high and dry with the back-pass. Pushed forward as much as he could and showed good footwork to cause panic inside the Bournemouth box to create an early chance that wasn’t taken. Shifted to right-back in the second half.
Levi Colwill: 6
At times looked the most assured of Chelsea’s shaky defence. Also set up a first-half chance for Nicolas Jackson with a well-timed through ball, but the striker couldn’t beat keeper Mark Travers.
Marc Cucurella: 7
Played high up the pitch as the Blues chased a second-half winner. Delivered three dangerous crosses into the Bournemouth box as he overlapped with substitute Jadon Sancho, but none were turned in.
Moises Caicedo: 6
Offered a calm presence with the inexperienced Renato Veiga alongside him, but struggled to assert any real dominance in midfield during an end-to-end game. Had a lot of work to do in the second half and protected his backline well.
Renato Veiga: 6
Looked nervy on his first Premier League start and gave the ball away to Marcus Tavernier who rattled the crossbar with a long-range effort inside five minutes. Settled down after that and looked more confident on the ball as the game went on, picking out his teammates with an impressive range of passes.
Noni Madueke: 7
Another solid performance as one of the starting forwards. Chelsea’s most lively player in the first half but was hooked on the hour mark as Enzo Maresca shuffled his pack.
Cole Palmer: 6
Was a constant target for Bournemouth fouls and was often crowded out in the final third. As a result, he struggled to find that creative spark that has so often proved the difference.
Pedro Neto: 5
Struggled to make an impact and doesn’t yet appear to have established much of a relationship with others around him on the pitch. Replaced at half-time by Jadon Sancho.
Nicolas Jackson: 6
Wasn’t provided with much service, but did draw a good save from Travers with Chelsea’s first shot on target. Also curled a decent effort over the bar after the break, but picked up another unnecessary yellow card for arguing with referee Anthony Taylor.
Jadon Sancho: 8
Made an instant impact, driving Chelsea forward down the left and combining with Cucurella. Already seems to have developed an understanding with the left-back that Neto lacked in the first half. Provided the assist for Nkunku’s winner.
Joao Felix: 6
Offered fresh legs and lots of running as the Blues chased a winner, but didn’t make a massive impact off the bench.
Tosin Adarabioyo: 7
Helped restore calm in the Chelsea ranks when he replaced Disasi in the 60th minute.
Christopher Nkunku: 9
Provided a moment of magic off the bench, dancing through three Bournemouth defenders on the edge of the box before slotting past Travers to snatch Chelsea the win.
