Chelsea returned to winning ways with an impressive 5-1 victory over Bournemouth in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge after the international break.
Jordan Henderson and Joao Pedro scored twice each, while Morgan Rogers also found the net as Xabi Alonso’s side produced a strong attacking display at home.
The Blues made a perfect start to the match, scoring twice inside the opening three minutes. The visitors struggled to recover from the early setback, although Evanilson gave the visitors some hope after the break.
The World Champions responded with two more goals before Henderson completed his brace with a superb free kick which killed off anything left to fight for.
Chelsea took the lead almost immediately after kick-off in the 2nd minute after Cole Palmer drove forward before setting up Jordan Henderson, who finished well to score his first goal for the London club.
It was an excellent start for the midfielder, who made the most of the space Bournemouth allowed him as the scoreline immediately turned 1-0 as play carried on between both teams.
The home side doubled their advantage in the 3rd minute. Pedro Neto forced goalkeeper Đorđe Petrović into a save, and Morgan Rogers followed up with a clever finish into the far corner.
The goal went through a VAR check before it was confirmed, but the home team had already established control of the match with a 2-0 scoreline.
Bournemouth tried to respond through the pace of Rayan and looked for ways to trouble the home side defence. However, the Blues remained organised enough to protect their two-goal lead until half-time.
Henderson also came close to scoring again before the break. The first half came to a conclusion with the scoreline staying 2-0 between both teams as they pushed on.
Xabi Alonso’s side continued their fast start after the interval. Just one minute into the second half, Pedro Neto delivered the assist for Joao Pedro, who finished confidently to make it 3-0.
The goal came in the 46th minute of play. The wonderful finish from Joao Pedro put Chelsea in a strong position, but the hosts could not keep a clean sheet once again.
Bournemouth found a way back into the match in the 51st minute after a corner caused confusion inside the penalty area. Evanilson reacted quickest during the scramble and scored to reduce the deficit to 3-1.
The goal gave the away side hope of a comeback as they pushed forward in search of another. Their attacking efforts created a more competitive spell, but the Blues quality in the final third proved decisive.
Joao Pedro struck again in the 67th minute to restore the three-goal advantage 4-1. The Brazilian finished off a flowing attacking move involving Morgan Rogers and Pep Chavarría, putting the result beyond their opponent’s reach.
Three minutes later, Henderson added the fifth goal. Cole Palmer won a free kick after being fouled by Antonio Silva, and Henderson stepped up to deliver a superb strike that left Petrović with little chance.
The midfielder’s second goal capped an outstanding performance and gave Chelsea a convincing 5-1 lead. Both teams made changes during the closing stages to see out the encounter which later ended 5-1.
Bournemouth’s corner routine produced their only goal, while the Blues defence again showed weaknesses at a set piece. They will need to improve in that area despite the convincing scoreline.
The 5-1 victory was an important response from Chelsea after their previous league defeat to Brentford. Henderson’s two goals, Joao Pedro’s clinical finishing and Palmer’s early influence gave the home supporters plenty to celebrate.
For Bournemouth, the result highlighted their defensive problems and the difficulty of recovering after conceding twice so early.
The Blues, meanwhile, will take confidence from their attacking performance under Alonso, although the goal conceded from a corner remains an area for improvement.
Chelsea will hope to build on this result in their next Premier League fixture, while Bournemouth must find a way to tighten their defence and turn promising spells into better results.
