Chelsea made it five Premier League games in a row without a victory as they were held to a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.

Cole Palmer opened the scoring in what was a truly dominant first half but, as has been the case recently, Chelsea fell apart after the break as Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo thundered the Cherries into the lead.

Chelsea's heads looked to have dropped, only for the returning Reece James to bend a stoppage time free-kick beyond Mark Travers to earn his side a share of the points.


How the game unfolded

Enzo Fernandez couldn't sort his feet out fast enough to take advantage of a chance inside the opening 60 seconds, but Chelsea didn't have to wait long to celebrate the opener as Cole Palmer shivvered his way towards the corner flag 13 minutes in.

Nicolas Jackson's excellent footwork was followed by a perfect pass through to Palmer, who sat Mark Travers down with a delightful fake before calmly slotting into the bottom corner.

Travers got down well to deny Fernandez on the half-hour mark and Jackson somehow blazed over the bar soon after after Noni Madueke's run gifted him an excellent chance just a few yards out.

Kluivert struck the post after a poor clearance from Robert Sanchez nearly gifted Bournemouth an unlikely route back into the game, before Jackson saw his own effort crash back off the woodwork just seconds later.

Jackson had his head in his hands once again on the stroke of half-time when a low header drew an excellent save from Travers, whose heroics ensured Chelsea were only 1-0 ahead at the interval.

Bournemouth were offered a route back into the game just three minutes after the restart when Moises Caicedo bundled Semenyo over in the penalty area. Up stepped Kluivert, who crashed down the middle to tie things up.

The Cherries' momentum was nearly brought to a halt almost immediately after when VAR advised a check on a foul from David Brooks, who caught Marc Cucurella across the face. The assistant recommended a red card for violent conduct, only for the on-field official to opt for a yellow card instead.

Bournemouth did not shy away and Semenyo crashed the visitors ahead with 20 minutes to go. A thunderous finish from a narrow angle was simply too powerful for Robert Sanchez, who could not get over fast enough to stop his side from falling behind.

The hosts looked most likely to score the next goal, but it was Chelsea who snatched a stoppage-time equaliser. Reece James came off the bench to steer home a delightful free-kick and salvage a point for the Blues.


Nkunku & Veiga in, Disasi out

Enzo Maresc
Maresca made some big calls / JUSTIN TALLIS/GettyImages

Axel Disasi's absence from the matchday squad was notable as it comes amid significant uncertainty surrounding his future. Maresca rarely includes any players being lined up for moves away from the club.

That makes Christopher Nkunku and Renato Veiga's presence on the Chelsea bench particularly interesting. Both have been tipped to head to the Bundesliga - Bayern Munich are chasing the former, with Borussia Dortmund eyeing the latter - but Maresca's decision to include both, even if neither made it off the bench, may suggest departures are far from a certainty.


Jackson's goalscoring touch goes missing

Nicolas Jackson, David Brooks
Jackson could have had two or three goals / Sportsphoto/Allstar/GettyImages

How Jackson did not score in this game will forever remain a mystery.

The early stages saw Chelsea's striker fire over from close range, before he struck the post and saw a close-range header pushed away inside a first half which could have easily yielded a hat-trick for Jackson on another day.

That wastefulness was punished as Bournemouth bagged twice in the second half, turning what could have been an easy win for Chelsea into a desperate draw.


Brooks avoids red

David Brooks, Marc Cucurella
Brooks was fortunate to avoid a red card / Sportsphoto/Allstar/GettyImages

Early in the second half, this game really sparked into life. Justin Kluivert tied things up from the penalty spot, before David Brooks found himself walking a disciplinary tightrope.

As Chelsea looked to counter from Robert Sanchez, Brooks extended his arm to stop Marc Cucurella and clearly caught the Chelsea full-back high. A VAR review followed and, despite the assistant's suggestion of a red card, the on-field official decided a yellow card was the right course of action.

Chelsea were visibly stunned to see Brooks permitted to finish this game, and perhaps that left them shaken as their second-half woes took over once more.


Acheampong's first test

Josh-Kofi Acheampong, Antoine Semenyo
Acheampong didn't have things his own way / Sportsphoto/Allstar/GettyImages

Josh Acheampong looks to have firmly played his way into Maresca's starting unit. The prolific Tosin Adarabioyo sat on the bench while the Cobham graduate started his second Premier League game in a row.

This was a quieter outing for the 18-year-old compared to his previous appearance against Crystal Palace, but Acheampong found himself facing his first real test of Premier League quality when he was bullied by Antoine Semenyo for Bournemouth's second goal.

He was withdrawn shortly after but, thankfully, was still met with a chorus of applause from those inside Stamford Bridge.


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