Chelsea vs. Bournemouth: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Substitute Glenn Murray scored a late winner as Bournemouth piled more Premier League agony on Chelsea with a 1-0 victory on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
The hosts dominated possession throughout and created several chances, but Bournemouth netted the game's only goal in the 82nd minute after Chelsea were unable to clear a corner.
Chelsea again started without a recognized striker on the pitch, with Eden Hazard playing as a false nine before Diego Costa entered at halftime. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois returned to the team following a long injury layoff.
But it was Bournemouth's day to celebrate, with Murray's strike ending an eight-match winless run for the Cherries. For defending champions Chelsea, meanwhile, it was an eighth league defeat of the season.
Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Supersub Glenn Murray
1 of 6
Glenn Murray scored the game's only goal in the 82nd minute, heading in from close range after Chelsea were unable to clear their box following a corner.
It was a valuable strike for the Cherries, who ended an eight-match winless streak and moved out of the relegation zone following a run of three straight weeks there.
As for Murray, he performed precisely the task asked of him, and he did it quickly. The 32-year-old striker entered the match as a substitute in the 80th minute and made a decisive contribution within moments.
How quickly did he score? According to Opta Joe, Murray had been on the pitch for just 99 seconds.
Loser: Chelsea's Momentum
2 of 6
Chelsea hauled a bit of hard-earned optimism into Saturday's match. Following a desperately poor start to the season, the Blues had kept three straight clean sheets in all competitions and taken four points from their last two Premier League games.
But after yet another loss, the Blues sit just three points above the relegation places with eight defeats from their first 15 matches. In contrast, the top three of Leicester City, Arsenal and Manchester City have lost eight matches combined.
Only Sunderland (nine) and Aston Villa (11) have lost more games in the Premier League this season, and both of those clubs are in the drop zone.
"So much for the recovery," wrote Dominic Fifield, who covered the match at Stamford Bridge for the Guardian. "Chelsea’s traumatic title defence has endured a fresh nadir, the champions beaten at home by Bournemouth to ensure all that optimism generated by a trio of clean sheets has been knocked out of them."
After the match, manager Jose Mourinho spoke about adjusting expectations for the season. Long gone is any talk of the title and now, perhaps, also of the top four.
"Before this game it was realistic to think that our quality would take us out of this position, but maybe now we have to think about top six," Mourinho said, per BBC Sport.
Up next for the Blues is a home match against Porto in the UEFA Champions League, followed by a trip to leaders Leicester City on Dec. 14. The latter could be a massive game for the defending champions, but for reasons they couldn't have anticipated before the season.
Chelsea led Leicester by 26 points in the table at this stage last term but now trail the Foxes by 17 points, per Opta Joe. If the Blues want to prove the latter number is nothing more than a fluke, a positive result is absolutely necessary at the King Power Stadium.
Winner: Bournemouth
3 of 6
This win was important for Bournemouth on multiple levels.
In the short term, it ended an eight-match winless run and took the Cherries out of the bottom three. If Eddie Howe and his players are to survive the club's first-ever season in the top flight, this could prove a key moment—a victory over the defending champions to potentially provide a new boost of confidence.
In the long term, it might just rank among the club's most memorable results. As the Cherries have made their way up the English football pyramid, critical wins have been the norm. But this was a victory in the home stadium of the defending top-flight champions.
That's not something that happens every day, even for clubs that have resided in the Premier League for years.
"In my opinion, it's the biggest result in the club's history," Howe said, per BBC Sport. "The club has never been in the Premier League before so winning at the champions is a huge result for the club."
Howe added: "Hopefully it will be talked about for a long time to come and hopefully there are more moments like that ahead of us."
Loser: Chelsea's Luck with the Tight Decisions
4 of 6
In tight matches, refereeing decisions can be critical. That was the case on this night.
Two borderline decisions went against Chelsea in the second half, and the Blues will argue that those decisions cost them the game.
In the 62nd minute, Bournemouth's Simon Francis slid to block a Diego Costa cross. The ball struck his arm inside the box, but referee Mike Jones declined to award a penalty.
Twenty minutes later, when Bournemouth scored the winner, Glenn Murray was either offside or very nearly so. Replays suggested he was marginally ahead of the second-to-last defender, meaning the goal should not have counted.
Did those two decisions hurt Chelsea? Probably so. But with all the quality Chelsea had on the pitch, it shouldn't have made a difference.
That's not meant to disrespect Bournemouth, but Chelsea's squad is packed with glittering names and high-priced talent. But despite dominating possession, the Blues were unable to break through Bournemouth's comparatively unfancied team.
"Think penalty incident should be mentioned, given it happened at 0-0. But Chelsea deserved nothing from that game," Joe Krishnan tweeted. "Bournemouth fantastic.
Chelsea might have been unlucky, but they also failed to play up to their collective abilities.
Loser: Chelsea's Record Against Promoted Teams
5 of 6
Saturday's result was a rarity, but not just for Bournemouth (see a few slides back for more).
Before this loss, Chelsea had played 43 games against newly promoted teams without losing. The last such side to beat the Blues was Charlton Athletic in 2001, as noted by Paul Carr of ESPN.
Winner: This Crazy Premier League Season
6 of 6
Proponents of the Premier League like to point out that England's top flight is the world's most competitive league. That might not always be true, but this season is becoming a banner year for that kind of statement.
Through 15 rounds—nearly half the season—Leicester City top the table while Chelsea languish in 14th place, three points above the relegation spots. Who would have predicted that?
Before this season, Bournemouth had never played in England's top flight. In their first visit to Chelsea, the Cherries knocked off the reigning league champions. Amazing.
It might be a cliche most seasons, but this time it's really true: On any given day, any Premier League side can beat any other. That's just one of the things that makes the Premier League so utterly watchable.
