Bournemouth v Chelsea player ratings
Chelsea slumped to a 4-0 defeat on a disastrous night for them on the south coast. Here’s how we rated each Blues player in the thrashing at Bournemouth.
Kepa Arrizabalaga: 6
Produced a couple of decent first-half saves. Blameless for all four goals, for which he was left exposed.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 6
Excellent in the first half, when he defended faultlessly and got forward often, forcing a good save from keeper Artur Boruc with an effort on goal. Struggled after the break though as Chelsea were dismantled.
David Luiz: 4
The good and bad sides of Luiz were highlighted in each half. In the first, he hit the mark with a couple of sublime balls forward. It was a totally different story after the interval though and the Brazilian made an absolute mess of things in the build to the second goal. First he gave the ball away, then he dived into a challenge, and then he allowed David Brooks to turn away from him and score.
Antonio Rudiger: 5
Not as culpable as Luiz, but still poor at the heart of Chelsea’s defence. Too easily dragged out of position and beaten on several occasions as Bournemouth swarmed forward.
Emerson Palmieri: 6
Selected ahead of the dropped Marcos Alonso, Emerson more than justified his inclusion in the first half. He was energetic, used the ball well and looked lively. As with other Chelsea players, though, his performance dipped in the second half.
Jorginho: 5
Kept things ticking over during Chelsea’s first-half dominance but was a sitting duck once Bournemouth got on top. They played through Jorginho in midfield with embarrassing ease.
N’Golo Kante: 6
Worked hard but still looks unconvincing in his advanced position. Missed a great chance to equalise when his control let him down after he had been set up by Pedro.
Mateo Kovacic: 6
Another player who faded after half-time. He was very effective in the first period and was unlucky not to score when Boruc tipped his far-post header on to the bar.
Pedro: 6
Hit and miss with his crossing, which was woeful at times. He nevertheless created chances for Kovacic and Kante as well as seeing an effort of his own saved.
Eden Hazard: 6
Superb for parts of the first half, when he linked up nicely with Pedro and Gonzalo Higuain. Had no influence on the game after that as Bournemouth ran riot.
Gonzalo Higuain: 5
Was involved in some nice link-up play but struggled to get into the game and offered very little goal threat before being taken off in the second half – a substitution which was greeted with derision by many of the travelling Chelsea fans. A hugely disappointing Premier League debut for the striker.
Willian: 5
Poor after coming on. His main contribution was a couple of dire corners.
Olivier Giroud: 5
Offered no more than Higuain after coming on for the Argentine.
