Chelsea substitute Christopher Nkunku struck in the 86th minute to secure a 1-0 victory at Bournemouth in a game littered with a Premier League record 14 yellow cards on Saturday.
Bournemouth twice struck the woodwork and Evanilson had a first-half penalty saved by Robert Sánchez.
But Chelsea finished the game strongly and Nkunku, who came on in the 79th minute, slotted home from close range to make it two away wins out of two for the London side.
Chelsea moved up to seventh with seven points from four games, while Bournemouth are 11th with five points.
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While it was not an entirely convincing display by Enzo Maresca’s team who rode their luck in the first half, there were plenty of positives to take away from the south coast.
They ended a run of 17 Premier League away games without a clean sheet, gave a debut to on-loan Jadon Sancho who impressed as a second-half substitute and showed plenty of resilience.
“First half we struggled, second half we were miles better,” Maresca said. “We didn’t win many balls in the first half and you need that in this type of stadium against this team.”
Bournemouth, however, paid dearly for failing to take their chances.
“We had more everything, more shots, more corners, but at the end what really matters is to score and they did it at the end,” said Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola.
A game full of chances and niggly fouls seemed to be heading for an unlikely stalemate until Sancho, on loan from Manchester United, threaded a ball in to Nkunku who showed great strength to turn sharply and toe-poke a shot past goalkeeper Mark Travers.
A game full of chances and niggly fouls seemed to be heading for an unlikely stalemate until Sancho, on loan from Manchester United, threaded a ball in to Nkunku who showed great strength to turn sharply and toe-poke a shot past keeper Mark Travers.
Sancho’s role in the goal capped an eye-catching debut for the winger who got a runners-up medal from the Champions League final while on loan at Borussia Dortmund last season.
“Jadon is a very good player and can help us,” Maresca said. “Now all the noise around him, I don’t care. With us he’s very polite, training well on and off the ball.”
Bournemouth had the better of the first half with Marcus Tavernier thumping a long-range effort against the crossbar in the fourth minute.
Travers denied Nicolas Jackson at the other end but Bournemouth looked set to go in front when Brazilian Evanilson was bundled over by Chelsea keeper Sanchez in the 36th minute.
Sanchez made amends though as he read Evanilson’s spot kick well to keep his side on level terms.
Chelsea sent on Sancho in the second half in place of Pedro Neto and he showed flashes of his best form.
But Bournemouth still looked the more likely to score with Sanchez saving from Justin Kluivert before Ryan Christie saw his side-footed effort strike the outside of the post.
Chelsea weathered the storm though and Nkunku sent the visiting fans home happy.
While referee Anthony Taylor’s yellow card had a busy night, most of the bookings were for niggly fouls or for players back-chatting the official. Eight Chelsea players were booked in all.
“It is not a problem for me with this amount of yellow cards. It is what it is. Sometimes the game demands the way you have to behave,” Maresca said.
