Chelsea 2-2 Bournemouth: Captain fantastic Reece James rescues wasteful Blues with last-gasp equaliser
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Chelsea needed some last-gasp captain’s heroics from Reece James to avoid a galling defeat by Bournemouth in a Premier League thriller at Stamford Bridge. The Blues skipper came off the bench to dispatch a stoppage-time free-kick and rescue a dramatic share of the spoils for his side in a 2-2 tie after they had been stunned by a spirited fightback.
Chelsea dominated the first half of Tuesday night’s contest in west London, leading through Cole Palmer’s stylish early goal and spurning numerous golden chances to add to their lead - with Nicolas Jackson particularly wasteful. They were made to pay for that frustrating profligacy after the interval, with Justin Kluivert restoring parity for in-form but injury-hit Bournemouth from the penalty spot after Moises Caicedo had fouled Antoine Semenyo.
Semenyo’s powerful effort after the hour mark looked to have the Cherries on course for another famous win, only for James to have the final say. Despite the late euphoria, Chelsea have now gone five games without a win in the Premier League as their slump continues and they will find themselves out of the top four altogether if Newcastle win at home to Wolves on Wednesday night.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, will still be content with another positive result that extends their club-record unbeaten Premier League run to nine matches despite an injury nightmare that has seen them lose both record signing Evanilson and Enes Unal in recent weeks.
