S Poddar
Behind the scenes, yet another power struggle between Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali plays on at Chelsea, but on the pitch, manager Enzo Maresca is left to focus on the business of winning football matches. Ownership in-house drama surrounds Chelsea just as much as ever, but Chelsea did themselves a world of good with a mixed performance that ended in a crucial late strike from Christopher Nkunku to win all three points off a well-drilled Bournemouth side.
Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth, full of vibrant energy and not allowing a furlong of space, enjoyed the better of the opportunities throughout but played the more progressive football. But the game, likely to be remembered for the joint record of 14 yellow cards shown by referee Anthony Taylor—that completed 14.—and one for Maresca, ultimately had to go Chelsea’s way because of Nkunku’s persistence. The Frenchman broke free of Bournemouth’s defense and was left to finish decisively after a Jadon Sancho assist, another late substitute with much to prove.
“I just said to you that we are in a big club with big players. There is competition for positions. We just have to work hard,” said Nkunku after the match.
Maresca was happy for his players, most of all how his bench players stepped forward. “The important thing is they’re ready when they get minutes,” he said. As a unit, Sancho and Nkunku rescued a Chelsea that, until then, had seemed about as cohesive as the club’s ownership.
The midfield certainly felt ordinary without the presence of Enzo Fernández and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and at times the back couple, Renato Veiga with Moisés Caicedo, seemed overrun, as the Bournemouth side seized upon that weakness. Brazilian forward Evanilson almost gave Chelsea the perfect opportunity to get on the board when Chelsea’s Axel Disasi hesitated in defense; however, he could not get enough movement into his attempt to get it as close as possible to the goal.
Evanilson later had another golden opportunity from the penalty spot after a contentious foul by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez. But Sánchez, conceding the penalty, redeemed himself with a sharp save and denied the striker a chance to open his Premier League account. Iraola was satisfied that Evanilson had an overall good game. “He wants to score, for sure, but I will not focus on this, I am very happy with his performance,” Iraola said. “We played very well, had more chances, pushed them, and you have to punish them, and we didn’t.”
Chelsea’s attack had struggled for much of the first half. Cole Palmer formed a triangle with Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto. Adam Smith, in his longest spell in the Bournemouth team, dominated his opponent, Neto, quite significantly, seriously reducing the influence Neto had on the game. Much of Chelsea’s ire was directed at Anthony Taylor, a referee who has problems with the club. However, their frustration was as much at the discretion of the referee as it was at their own team. Chelsea, on the other hand, were forced to do something that they would have considered as confronting Mark Travers, the Bournemouth goalkeeper, for the first time in this game when Nicolas Jackson shot straight into his arms in the 33rd minute. Travers, who replaced Kepa Arrizabalaga as part of the squad courtesy of his parent club, Bournemouth, remained relatively undisturbed for the rest of the half.
Nevertheless, Sánchez continued to make amends for the earlier error, turning down Bournemouth’s attack multiple times. The penalty he conceded, after a wayward back pass from Wesley Fofana, could easily have been a moment that would have altered the game, but Sánchez’s stop sent the game back into the melting pot. The goalless first half, which saw six yellows brandished by Taylor in the middle, owed more to the referee’s strict refereeing than anything else, though tensions certainly simmered.
At halftime, Maresca brought Sancho to the pitch, whose presence is having an instant impact on the game. Talking after the match, Sancho voiced out his feelings being back on the pitch. “Just being back playing, I’m grateful,” said the ex-Manchester United player. “I’ve been working pretty hard for that moment and just happy I got my chance.”
He was eager to throw praise their way toward Sancho’s potential and effort. “I have the feeling that Jadon is a guy who needs love. I know he has the desire to show the player that he is. I don’t see problems around Jadon, around João [Félix], I don’t see anything negative, to be honest,” Maresca said.
Despite their ineptitude on the attacking front, Bournemouth kept managing to get into good positions. Justin Kluivert coaxed another impressive save out of Sánchez, and Antoine Semenyo’s shot had the wing netting flashing past the edge of the post from a productive set play. Ryan Christie also had a shot hit the post as his low drive was deflected off the defender. But by the latter stages, they were running out of steam, and Chelsea were able to just start to hold the middle and take some control.
Chelsea’s most obvious source of attack from the Jackson had an off day and was replaced by Nkunku. Maresca admitted his side had been awful up front, saying, “We lacked quality in the box.” When Sancho took a step inside to pass to Nkunku, the former had no such lapses as he signed off the day of redemption for his side, much needed and much time overdue.
A win that served as a reminder that despite boardroom battles continuing, Chelsea still enjoys enough quality in the squad to secure results on the pitch. Whoever emerges victorious in this saga of ownership, Maresca certainly has the tools to build a team capable of competition at the highest level.
