Graham Pearcey

Date: 19 May 2024

Since the day Bournemouth achieved their highest ever points total in the Premier League the team has lost every single match – all three of them – and I was unlucky enough to attend all three!

Actually this was a rotten day out for a number of reasons, not all related to the football. The weather was excessively hot, and the bright sun was right in my eyes. I was surrounded by people who seemed more interested in throwing beach balls, balloons and other inflatables around – even whilst the match was taking place – and those beach balls aren’t half heavy when they hit you in the back of the head. To cap it all this was a poor advertisement for ‘safe standing’ as I found myself getting pushed along from both sides in a way that wouldn’t occur if properly seated.

The match itself? Well I was sorry to see Travers, Smith and Solanke all dropped from the starting line-up, although I later learned that Solanke was nursing a slight injury.

Some would blame Neto for Chelsea’s first goal, in the first half, but actually he’d run out and made a brilliant save – blasting the ball back into Chelsea’s half. But it was unfortunate that it found Caicedo who, seeing Neto still off his line, aimed from distance – and scored! The best goal I’ve seen all season. And I’m not blaming Neto; in fact the only one of our players who was disappointing – when he came on – was Ouattara for the second week running. The fans are losing patience with him now; it’s inexplicable why he’s no longer the great player he was a year ago.

Chelsea’s second came just after the break – a one-man effort by Sterling. But Unal equalised, from Bournemouth’s right, almost immediately – so the score was 2-1 from the 50th minute onwards.

Iraola made four substitutions in all – Solanke initially taking up Kluivert’s place in the ‘number 10 position’ before moving forward when Unal came off the field. Deep into added time Solanke had a golden opportunity to score when Christie’s shot had been blocked, but he blasted the ball over the bar. Chelsea employed dreadful timewasting tactics throughout those seven minutes’ added time, but the referee made no allowance for this and the final whistle was blown on this match – and this season – on exactly 97 minutes.

The team lined up as follows at the start of the game:

Neto;
Aarons, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez;
Cook, Christie;
Semenyo, Kluivert, Tavernier;
Unal

By the end the line-up was:

Neto;
Cook, Zabarnyi, Kelly, Kerkez;
Scott, Christie;
Ouattara, Philip, Semenyo;
Solanke

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