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Chelsea hammered Bournemouth 5-1 at Stamford Bridge, and it was basically over before most people had found their seats. Jordan Henderson and Morgan Rogers scored in the first three minutes, which Sky Sports reports is Chelsea's earliest 2-0 lead in a Premier League game. João Pedro added two (one just after half-time, one in the 67th minute), Henderson wrapped up his own brace with a free-kick in the 70th, and Evanilson's deflected goal in the 51st minute was all Bournemouth got. That's a much-needed bounce-back for Chelsea in Matchweek 6, lifting them to 5th; Bournemouth are still winless with three points from six games, and Marco Rose admitted his side 'were not ready'.
Pre-match Talking Points
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1Chelsea sit 10th with 7 points from five games, a goal difference of minus two and ten goals conceded. Not a crisis, but not the start the club's wage bill was hoping for. Bournemouth are 17th with 3 points and no wins, so for them a defeat at Stamford Bridge keeps the bottom end of the table uncomfortably close.
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2Chelsea and Bournemouth have met plenty since the Cherries arrived in the top flight in 2015, and Stamford Bridge has rarely been a happy hunting ground for the visitors. The useful line for the pub: Bournemouth have spent the last decade making a habit of being more annoying than their size suggests.
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3Cole Palmer is the one to watch. He hit 22 league goals in his first season after arriving from Manchester City, and is the reason Chelsea fans keep a straight face when someone mentions his famous shivering celebration. If he scores, expect the celebration, and expect somebody to explain it to you.
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4The subplot is defending. Chelsea have shipped ten in five and Bournemouth have shipped ten too, with only five scored at the other end. Something has to give, and a scrappy afternoon is more likely than a tidy one. Check the team sheets about an hour before kick-off for any late injury news, as we couldn't confirm lineups this morning.
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5The hook: Bournemouth have drawn three and lost two, and are one of only a handful of sides still waiting for a first win of the season. If they get one at Chelsea, it will be the shock of the weekend. If they don't, expect the phrase 'honest effort' to be used a lot.
Team Talking Points
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1Chelsea limped into the international break after a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland, settled by an Enzo Le Fée penalty in the first half. It dropped them to fifth, out of the Champions League places, and it was their fourth league defeat in ten games.
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2Xabi Alonso – appointed in the summer on a four-year deal to revive things – didn't sugar-coat it, saying Chelsea 'didn't deserve more than probably one point' and lacked patience and quality in the final third. The honesty is refreshing; the stats are less so.
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3Here's the worrying number: across games against Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester United and Sunderland, Chelsea scored just one goal from open play. For a squad that cost what this one did, that's a lot of very expensive passing sideways.
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4They've also been beaten 3-0 by Brentford this season, back in October. Chelsea fans would rather you didn't bring that one up, so maybe save it for when you want to change the subject quickly.
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5There's still plenty of time – they're only two points off the top four, six behind second-placed Brighton. And they're not shy about January: reports this week say Chelsea are among the clubs monitoring Arsenal's unhappy midfielder Martin Zubimendi.
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Top thing to say down the pub
One open-play goal in four games isn't what anyone had in mind when Xabi Alonso walked through the door – the break's come at a decent time for him.
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Avoid saying
"Just sack the manager" – it's Chelsea, so it's the reflex joke, but Alonso's only been in the job since the summer – ten games is not a fair trial. Say it and you'll sound like you think it's still 2012.
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1Bournemouth are the form team nobody's talking about: last weekend's 2-1 win at Ipswich made it eight wins in a row in all competitions. Even better, it's four straight league wins – something they hadn't managed in a single season since December 2023.
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2It's a proper turnaround story. Marco Rose's side didn't win any of their first six Premier League games (three draws, three defeats), and now they're up to seventh on 15 points, just three behind the top four. Drop 'they were winless after six games, you know' and watch people do the maths.
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3Striker Evanilson is red hot. He scored inside five minutes at Ipswich after nicking the ball off the goalkeeper and rolling it into an empty net, and that's now five Premier League games in a row with a goal – the first Bournemouth player ever to do that.
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4The bigger clubs are circling. Arsenal are reportedly keen on young forward Eli Junior Kroupi, although the word is Bournemouth have no intention of letting him go before the summer. It's the price of being good at spotting talent – everyone else eventually notices.
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5There's an England angle too: defender James Hill was called up to the senior squad this week as cover after Ezri Konsa dropped out of training. Not bad for a club whose matchday squad still costs a fraction of the Premier League's big spenders.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Eight wins on the bounce and Evanilson can't stop scoring – Bournemouth have gone from 'winless after six' to sniffing round the top four in about six weeks.
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Avoid saying
"Bournemouth are just a nice little seaside club" – they've won eight straight and are three points off the Champions League places. Patronise them now and you'll look daft by Christmas.