Two late goals against Bournemouth finally gave Frank Lampard his first win since his return as Chelsea’s interim manager.
The Blues had lost all four Premier League games since Lampard’s return in April, but had led through Conor Gallagher’s early header.
Matias Vina levelled for Bournemouth, but Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix struck inside the last 10 minutes.
Relegation remains a possibility for the Cherries with three games left, while Chelsea are 11th in the table.
Bournemouth’s best spell came early in the second half when Vina missed a chance for a second and Dango Ouattara headed over from close range, but Gary O’Neil’s side still have a good chance of avoiding a quick return to the Championship with games against Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Everton to come.
They are currently nine points clear of the bottom three, although some teams still have four matches to play.
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Raheem Sterling among five players left out from the side that had lost 3-1 at Arsenal in their previous outing, Chelsea were much improved with 21-year-old Noni Madueke a particular threat on the right-hand side.
Lampard had opted to bring in Gallagher as well as Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Mykhailo Mudryk and Kai Havertz, and he said shaping a side from a large squad after a poor run has been difficult.
“There are a few players finding their feet,” Lampard said.
“Typically at Chelsea, one or two have fed into the group and now we have more. It’s understandable that as a group finding rhythm and confidence can be difficult.
“This is a first step, it won’t be plain sailing but there is talent there and the players need to come together to get us to where we want to be.
“We came in off the back of a tough run, it’s been a tough year and there is a lot work to do. But the performance and the result in isolation are really good, we deserved to win the game. It’s a nice step forward for the lads.”
Relief for Lampard but more big tests await Chelsea
Chelsea’s recent record made for grim reading, with defeats to Real Madrid in both legs of their Champions League quarter-final to go alongside the losses in the league and just two goals scored in those six outings under Lampard.
But Lampard’s tweaks to the side that had gone 3-0 behind after just 34 minutes against Arsenal paid off, with Gallagher looking lively throughout after his deft, glancing header diverted N’Golo Kante’s fine cross from the right in the ninth minute.
Madueke found the side netting in the first half, as well as posing problems for Bournemouth when cutting inside from the left with some fine runs.
Badiashile, another of Lampard’s changes from midweek, also impressed in giving Chelsea a much more solid feel at the back and he thoroughly deserved his first goal since his arrival from Monaco in January with a poke from close range to Hatem Ziyech’s free-kick.
Felix finished off a cute exchange of passes with Sterling, on as a substitute in the second half, to give a comfortable-looking gloss to the scoreline.
But even after the relief of his first win, Lampard knows he still faces a tricky end to the season.
Chelsea face relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest next, before a daunting final trio of games against clubs currently in the positions Chelsea fans would expect to be contesting: Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle United.
Cherries miss chance to secure Premier League status
Thomas Tuchel was still Chelsea’s manager when Gary O’Neil replaced Scott Parker in late August in the wake of the Cherries’ disastrous 9-0 loss at Liverpool, but while the German lasted only just over a week more, O’Neil has repaid the faith shown in him despite some dips in form since his appointment.
A run of six wins in nine games prior to Chelsea’s visit has lifted Bournemouth from the very foot of the table in early March to the cusp of safety, and even this defeat still leaves them nine points clear of Leicester, Leeds and Forest below them.
Astute business in January has been key to their revival under O’Neil with Vina, on loan from AS Roma, grabbing his second goal inside a month after an excellent move that also involved the impressive Ryan Christie.
Cutting in from the left and quickly exchanging passes with Christie and Dominic Solanke, Vina then opened up his body and curled the ball high past Kepa Arrizabalaga for a brilliant equaliser.
Vina should arguably have had another in the second half, but Kepa was equal to the Uruguay international’s near-post shot to his right.
Ouattara, who had also arrived in January on a permanent deal from Lorient, should have hit the target with his header from inside the six-yard area and the impressive Burkina Faso midfielder’s miss proved vital when Chelsea subsequently stretched away.
Player of the match
João FélixJoão Félix
AFC Bournemouth
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Squad number29Player nameBillingAverage rating
6.61
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Squad number18Player nameViñaAverage rating
6.59
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Squad number8Player nameLerma
Average rating6.42
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Squad number9Player nameSolanke
Average rating6.36
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Squad number11Player nameOuattara
Average rating6.30
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Squad number14Player nameRothwell
Average rating6.28
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Squad number5Player nameKelly
Average rating6.26
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Squad number25Player nameSenesi
Average rating6.18
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Squad number15Player nameA Smith
Average rating6.12
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Squad number13Player nameNeto
Average rating6.05
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Squad number4Player nameL Cook
Average rating6.01
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Squad number10Player nameChristie
Average rating5.79
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Squad number24Player nameSemenyo
Average rating5.59
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Squad number7Player nameBrooks
Average rating5.49
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Squad number32Player nameAnthony
Average rating5.21
Chelsea
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Squad number11Player nameJoão Félix
Average rating7.76
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Squad number23Player nameGallagher
Average rating6.55
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Squad number22Player nameZiyech
Average rating6.49
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Squad number7Player nameKanté
Average rating6.45
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Squad number31Player nameMadueke
Average rating6.29
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Squad number28Player nameAzpilicueta
Average rating6.23
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Squad number6Player nameThiago Silva
Average rating6.09
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Squad number4Player nameBadiashile
Average rating6.05
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Squad number12Player nameLoftus-Cheek
Average rating5.90
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Squad number5Player nameFernández
Average rating5.85
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Squad number21Player nameChilwell
Average rating5.85
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Squad number17Player nameSterling
Average rating5.85
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Squad number15Player nameMudryk
Average rating5.72
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Squad number14Player nameChalobah
Average rating5.47
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Squad number29Player nameHavertz
Average rating5.43
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Squad number1Player nameArrizabalaga
Average rating5.35
Line-ups
Bournemouth
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 13Neto
- 15A Smith
- 25SenesiBooked at 45mins
- 5Kelly
- 18Viña
- 14RothwellSubstituted forL Cookat 59′minutes
- 8Lerma
- 11Ouattara
- 29BillingSubstituted forAnthonyat 83′minutes
- 10ChristieSubstituted forSemenyoat 84′minutes
- 9SolankeSubstituted forBrooksat 90′minutes
Substitutes
- 1Travers
- 3Stephens
- 4L Cook
- 6Mepham
- 7Brooks
- 17Stacey
- 24Semenyo
- 27Zabarnyi
- 32Anthony
Chelsea
Formation 4-3-3
- 1Arrizabalaga
- 14Chalobah
- 6Thiago Silva
- 4BadiashileBooked at 65mins
- 21ChilwellSubstituted forAzpilicuetaat 75′minutes
- 7KantéBooked at 20minsSubstituted forLoftus-Cheekat 63′minutes
- 5Fernández
- 23Gallagher
- 31MaduekeSubstituted forZiyechat 76′minutes
- 29HavertzSubstituted forJoão Félixat 84′minutes
- 15MudrykBooked at 15minsSubstituted forSterlingat 63′minutes
Substitutes
- 8Kovacic
- 10Pulisic
- 11João Félix
- 12Loftus-Cheek
- 16Mendy
- 17Sterling
- 22Ziyech
- 28Azpilicueta
- 67Hall
- Referee:
- John Brooks
- Attendance:
- 10,357
Match Stats
Live Text
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Match ends, Bournemouth 1, Chelsea 3.
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Second Half ends, Bournemouth 1, Chelsea 3.
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Attempt missed. César Azpilicueta (Chelsea) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
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Substitution, Bournemouth. David Brooks replaces Dominic Solanke.
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Foul by Raheem Sterling (Chelsea).
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Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Goal! Bournemouth 1, Chelsea 3. João Félix (Chelsea) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Raheem Sterling.
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Attempt saved. Jaidon Anthony (Bournemouth) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Antoine Semenyo.
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Substitution, Bournemouth. Antoine Semenyo replaces Ryan Christie.
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Substitution, Chelsea. João Félix replaces Kai Havertz.
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Substitution, Bournemouth. Jaidon Anthony replaces Philip Billing.
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Goal! Bournemouth 1, Chelsea 2. Benoît Badiashile (Chelsea) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Hakim Ziyech with a cross following a set piece situation.
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Hand ball by Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth).
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Attempt blocked. Enzo Fernández (Chelsea) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Conor Gallagher.
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Attempt missed. Dango Ouattara (Bournemouth) header from very close range is just a bit too high. Assisted by Jefferson Lerma with a headed pass following a corner.
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Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by Trevoh Chalobah.
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Foul by Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea).
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Philip Billing (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Attempt missed. Kai Havertz (Chelsea) header from the centre of the box misses to the left.
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Substitution, Chelsea. Hakim Ziyech replaces Noni Madueke.