Bournemouth held Chelsea to a 0-0 draw, the second straight Premier League encounter in which the Blues’ much-touted assault failed to deliver at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday.
After dropping their previous league match, 1-0, to Nottingham Forest, Chelsea dominated possession in the opening period. Nicolas Jackson hit the foot of the post in the 14th minute and Conor Gallagher blew a wonderful chance just after the half-hour mark.
Dango Outtara connected with a low ball across the box for Bournemouth’s finest first-half opportunity, but Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez dove to stop his close-range shot.
Early in the second half, the visitors had the ball in the back of the net after Raheem Sterling’s free kick angled against the post and crossbar and Levi Colwill smashed home the rebound, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Justin Kluivert’s second-half substitution gave Bournemouth a much-needed forward edge, and in the 76th minute, he was fouled on the edge of the box. Philip Billing’s ensuing free kick, though, was diverted wide for a corner.
Dominic Solanke of Bournemouth quickly responded with a powerful shot, and he then missed the target with a looping header as the home team experienced a rare period of offensive pressure.
Five minutes from the conclusion of regulation, Sterling found Cole Palmer for Chelsea, but Cherries goalkeeper Neto produced an incredible one-handed reflex save to stop the substitute’s skillful volley.
With the tie, Bournemouth goes up to 15th place with three points, two points and one place ahead of Chelsea, whose manager Mauricio Pochettino was unable to conceal his displeasure.
“What the numbers say in the end is that it wasn’t enough. It’s always about the game. We should win 1-0, 2-0 today easily because in the first 30 minutes we had the chances,” he told Sky Sports.
“If we didn’t score and didn’t win the game, maybe you need to say to the people that it wasn’t enough,” he added.
The Bournemouth players thought it was unfortunate that they lost.
“Coming straight off the game, we’re disappointed not to take all three points. They had some chances but I think we played our best game of the season so far,” defender Max Aarons said.
