Chelsea Cruise Past Bournemouth 3-1 to Inch Closer to Premier League Title

Chelsea took another step toward the Premier League title on Saturday, beating Bournemouth 3-1.

An own goal from Adam Smith and a pretty finish from Eden Hazard gave the Blues a two-goal lead, while Joshua King reduced the deficit shortly before half-time.

Marcos Alonso restored the two-goal gap with a free-kick, and the Blues cruised to the finish line to restore their seven-point lead at the top of the league.

As shared by Chelsea's official Twitter account, the Blues came out with a team that should look familiar by now:

Ryan Fraser returned to the starting XI for the Cherries:

The returning Fraser put Thibaut Courtois to work early, nearly giving his team the lead with a good shot. Bournemouth made an excellent start at home, unsettling the Blues with their high pace.

But after 15 solid minutes, the Cherries' chances of winning the match took a drastic hit.

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First, Chelsea opened the scoring in strange fashion, as Diego Costa completely whiffed on a cross and sent a shot heading well wide of the goal. Fortunately for the Spaniard, the strike deflected off the face of poor Smith, who was credited with the own goal.

There was no luck involved when Hazard doubled the lead three minutes later, producing a fine finish after a great pass from N'Golo Kante. Former England international Gary Lineker was impressed:

The two quick goals changed the match dramatically. Bournemouth were visibly shocked and nearly gave up a third goal, with Costa firing wide. But as the half wore on, the Cherries regained their composure, and chances started falling their way again.

Benik Afobe went very close with a volley that struck the inside of the post and somehow stayed out before King scored thanks to a lucky deflection off David Luiz and some shoddy defending from Gary Cahill shortly before half-time.

Per Bournemouth's official Twitter account, the forward has been excellent since the turn of the year:

The first chance of the second half fell to the hosts, as Fraser had Courtois beaten with a curling shot that flew just wide of the post.

Chelsea also had their looks, as Costa twice barely missed sharp crosses that would have been sure goals had the Spain international made contact.

Per ESPN FC's Liam Twomey, Costa struggled tremendously:

Both teams pushed for a goal, and the league leaders restored their two-goal lead with just over 20 minutes left to play. Costa earned a free-kick and Alonso beautifully converted.

As shared by sports writer David Amoyal, the former Fiorentina man has come up big for the Blues this season:

Alonso nearly doubled his tally, but his header from close range flew over the bar. Pedro also went close, as Chelsea were in full control at this point, with Bournemouth seemingly just waiting for the final whistle.

Despite his team's big lead in the standings, manager Antonio Conte wasn't ready to start celebrating yet:

Chelsea's next outing will be at Manchester United, while Bournemouth visit Tottenham Hotspur.