Chelsea record first win since Lampard’s return

 

Chelsea recorded their first win since Frank Lampard’s return in a match they dominated significant periods of the play away at Bournemouth.

The Saturday afternoon encounter could hardly have started better for the Blues, with Conor Gallagher glancing a header in from an N’Golo Kante cross.

Hopes that it would all be smooth sailing after that were dashed however, when Matias Vina curled in a quality equaliser midway through the first half, and despite some promising attacks, with Noni Madueke often having the beating of the left side of the Bournemouth defence, it was level pegging at the interval.

Chelsea continued strongly at the start of the second half and although they were grateful for a timely Thiago Silva tackle preventing Dominic Solanke giving the home side the lead.

After further chances at both ends Benoit Badiashile guided in his first Chelsea goal and then Joao Felix scored four minutes later to put the cherry on the top of the win against the Cherries.

It was a second half in which substitutions made by Lampard had an impact. The one blemish on the day was losing Ben Chilwell late on to what looked like a muscle injury.