Bournemouth vs. Chelsea: Score, Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Eden Hazard finally netted his first two goals of the Premier League season Saturday to help lead Chelsea to a 4-1 win over Bournemouth at Dean Court.

Although the match lacked the intensity of one involving clubs in the title or relegation fights, it still featured its fair share of entertainment value. That was especially true during a three-goal first half, including two tallies in a three-minute stretch at one point.

Cesc Fabregas served as the engine for the Blues' attack throughout the victory. He picked up assists on the first three goals and could have added a few more with some better finishing from his teammates.

Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink stated before the match his group remains focused, even though their hopes of a title repeat ended months ago, as noted by the club's official site. The club can still have an impact on the championship chase with matches against Tottenham and Leicester looming.

"Every game I see on the training pitch, whether it's seven-a-side, eight-a-side or 10-a-side they are fully committed to winning, which means they are not fading away," Hiddink said. "All the games we have, whatever is at stake, Chelsea will play to try to win."

The Blues certainly started the match in ideal fashion as Pedro opened the scoring less than five minutes into the fixture.

His goal came on a quick counterattack that caught the Bournemouth defense completely out of position. Fabregas took a pass in the middle of the pitch with all kinds of space and time, ultimately delivering a perfect through ball to the Spanish winger, who used some nifty footwork to find the net.

OptaJoe spotlighted Pedro's recent strong form for the Blues:

The Cherries managed to settle in after conceding early. They had several chances to get back level around the half-hour mark, including close-ranger headers from Josh King and Lewis Grabban, but failed to convert.

Chelsea responded to the flurry of chances at the defensive end by stretching the lead to 2-0 in the 34th minute courtesy of Eden Hazard.

Fabregas was once again directly involved in the build up as he made a perfect touch pass into the path of the Belgian midfielder. Hazard took a couple touches and then delivered a low strike that beat an outstretched Artur Boruc for his first goal of the Premier League campaign at long last.

Dan Levene of Get West Chelsea provided the particulars of the drought by Hazard, who returned to action Saturday after missing over a month due to a hip injury:

Bleacher Report UK joked about the possible reaction from Blues supporters:

Bournemouth struck right back, though. Captain Tommy Elphick scored his first Premier League goal in the 36th minute to cut the deficit to one.

The tally came off a set piece as Simon Francis accepted a short corner and then delivered a curling cross into the area. The Chelsea defenders got caught up in the physical play in the box, allowing Elphick to easily rise above the crowd, head the ball down and past Asmir Begovic on a bounce.

Although the Blues carried a lead into halftime, it certainly wasn't a crisp performance from the visitors, which seen the Cherries generate double the shots on target in the opening 45 minutes. Liam Twomey of ESPNFC summed up the first half:

Chelsea did a much better job of controlling the pace after the break. They also did well to keep Bournemouth out of dangerous scoring areas. One of the home side's few promising opportunities was a long-range effort from Junior Stanislas in the 67th minute that whistled wide of the post.

A short time later, Fabregas set the table again as he picked out Willian making a run down the right side for the third goal. Another perfectly placed through ball allowed the Brazilian international to get a clear look and he made no mistake, burying the shot for a 3-1 lead.

Tweet Chelsea FC noted the Spaniard's continued rise up the Premier League record book:

"

Cesc Fabregas is now third all-time assister in the Premier League.

- Ryan Giggs 162
- Frank Lampard 102
- Cesc Fabregas 95

— TweetChelseaFC (@TweetChelseaFC) April 23, 2016"

The Blues put icing on the cake with another goal in second-half stoppage time. Nemanja Matic made a nice run through the Bournemouth defense before laying the ball off to Hazard, who easily tapped in the shot for his second goal of the afternoon.

Squawka Football passed along the final stats:

Looking ahead, Chelsea return to action on May 2 for their first opportunity to alter the title race when they welcome Tottenham to Stamford Bridge. The first meeting of the campaign between the sides came back in November and ended in a scoreless draw.

The Blues will definitely need to put together a more comprehensive performance in nine days time if they want to play the role of spoiler. Spurs have been playing terrific football as of late, scoring seven goals and conceding none in routine victories over Manchester United and Stoke.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth travel to Goodison Park for a clash with Everton next Saturday. Even though the fixture doesn't carry any major complications, the sides are closely bunched in the middle of the table, so the result could decide which club finishes higher at season's end.

Post-Match Reaction

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe explained his side could simply never get a foothold in the second half before Chelsea pulled away, according to the club's official site:

"

It was difficult for us second half. They had the lead and the third goal killed the game. From there on in it was difficult for us to get on the ball, given the quality they have.

Our home form has been slightly disappointing this season. We haven't won as regularly as we would have liked, so there is certainly stuff to work on over the summer.

"

Hiddink praised Fabregas for his role in sparking the Blues' attack, per Levene.

"One of the few players who has this vision very fast. He knows when he can execute what he is thinking and creating," the manager said.

After wrapping up the victory, he turned the focus ahead to Spurs, as the club noted.

"We play the next game to win and the next game is Tottenham," Hiddink said.