Chelsea suffered their fourth Premier League defeat in five games as they lost 1-0 to Bournemouth.
Bournemouth went into the game off the back of a five-game losing run but Dan Gosling’s late goal was enough to see them pile further misery on Frank Lampard’s side.
Here’s how the players rated at Stamford Bridge:
Chelsea
Kepa Arrizabalaga – 5 – Got down well to save Fraser’s early effort but was otherwise untested in the first half. Had very little to do after half-time but was well beaten by Gosling’s looping effort.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 6 – Attacked a lot down his flank, linking with Kante and Willian, overloading the right. Did have to do his fair share of defending too with Fraser looking to cause problems.
Kurt Zouma – 7 – Looking a lot for comfortable alongside Rudiger, the Frenchman had a good first half. Kept a very close eye on King but perhaps should have done better for Gosling’s winner, allowing the midfielder space in the box.
Bournemouth had lost five consecutive games before playing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
They've just won 1-0. 😳 pic.twitter.com/2LUFz4P6Oj
— Squawka (@Squawka) December 14, 2019
Antonio Rudiger – 7 – Still looking a bit rusty, understandably, but this was a good performance from the German. Certainly Chelsea’s best centre-back and a real leader on the pitch.
Emerson – 5 – Got forward a lot but missed the best chance of the game for Chelsea, headed straight at Ramsdale from close range.
N’Golo Kante – 6 – All over the pitch as always, but he wasn’t really able to make a mark on the game in defence or attack.
Jorginho – 6 – Moved the ball around the middle of the pitch and continued to test Bournemouth’s defence with his longer passes. But his influence quietened down as the game went on, eventually being replaced by Batshuayi.
Mason Mount – 3 – Made a good run to get onto end of Jorginho’s testing pass but saw his shot saved. Moved to left wing midway through second half but was frustrated by Bournemouth’s good defending.
Willian – 4 – Saw quite a lot of the ball but didn’t trouble Bournemouth too much, unable to find teammates with his crosses.
Tammy Abraham – 5 – On the periphery as usual, Abraham’s two chances in the first half missed the target. Endured a similar second-half, suffering as Chelsea struggled to create.
Christian Pulisic – 3 – A quiet game from the American, who only showed small glimpses of his quality before being taken off.
Substitutes:
Mateo Kovacic (for Pulisic 65) – 4 – Unable to change the game in Chelsea’s favour.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (for Willian 65) – 4 – Did not make the impact Lampard would have wanted.
Michy Batshuayi (for Jorginho 78) – 3 – Made very little difference after coming on, as has been the case in recent games.
Subscribe to Squawka’s Youtube channel here.
Bournemouth
Aaron Ramsdale – 7 – Didn’t have too much to do but when he was called upon, Ramsdale was reliable, making good saves to get his fourth clean sheet of the season.
Jack Stacey – 7 – Solid down the right at most times though was fortunate not to see a shanked clearance beat Ramsdale in the first half.
Simon Francis – 7 – Helped keep Bournemouth’s defence watertight alongside Mepham, brushing away most problems.
3 – Since they were promoted to the Premier League in 2015, no side has won more away league games at Stamford Bridge than Bournemouth. Battle. #CHEBOU pic.twitter.com/c1zegcSELl
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 14, 2019
Chris Mepham – 8 – Dealt well with Abraham brilliantly throughout, barely giving the Englishman a chance. As a former Chelsea academy product, this performance and win will taste even sweeter.
Diego Rico – 7 – Slightly overworked with Chelsea attacking down his flank but he did well to limit their impact.
Jefferson Lerma – 7 – Helped make Bournemouth’s midfield tough to beat alongside Billing. Good header back into the area to get the assist for Gosling’s goal.
Philip Billing – 8 – Combative in midfield, barely giving Chelsea’s players any time on the ball early on. Helped his side in both defence and attack, especially when Bournemouth grew confident.
Dan Gosling – 7 – Decent in midfield but missed a great opportunity to open the scoring, unable to get onto the end of King’s ball across the area. Did eventually get the winning goal late on, flicking the ball over Arrizabalaga’s head.
Lewis Cook – 5 – A quiet performance from the 22-year-old.
Ryan Fraser – 7 – Was Bournemouth’s best attacking player in the first half, as expected, and started lively. Tested Arrizabalaga with an early shot at near post and overcome injury fears to continue to trouble Chelsea.
Josh King – 8 – Tightly marked by Zouma, the Norwegian often found himself dropping deep to get involved but his link-up play was good. Spurned a big opportunity on the counter but was let down by his touch, eventually allowing Zouma to recover. Excellent after half-time as Bournemouth grew in confidence and Chelsea will have been grateful to see him going off.
Substitutes:
Dominic Solanke (for King 76) – 5 – His fresh legs gave Chelsea new problems though he didn’t really get into the game in front of goal.