Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea: 5 Talking Points from the first goalless draw of the season | Premier League 2023-24

Chelsea and Bournemouth played out a 0-0 draw in the Premier League on Sunday, September 17.

The Cherries were winless prior to this contest, securing two draws and sufferring two defeats in their four games so far. While scorelines haven't favored them, Andoni Iraola's men have played an organized style of football without results going their way. The Spaniard fielded a strong lineup for this game.

The Blues, on the other hand, have had somewhat of a shaky start themselves, winning just one of their four games. Their last outing was a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest - a game in which Mauricio Pochettino's men should have done better. However, he fielded a strong lineup for this match.

Bournemouth and Chelsea made decent starts to the game and ended the first half with identical shooting stats. Despite dominating possession, the visitors managed just two shots on target and forced two saves from Neto. The Cherries, too, had two attempts and tested Robert Sanchez twice.

Despite decent play from both sides the first half ended 0-0.

The possession stats were fairly similar between Bournemouth and Chelsea in the second period, but the visitors managed to do better in the final third. They attempted nine shots, with four on target, bringing the hosts' skipper into action to preserve his clean sheet.

Iraola and Pochettino made multiple changes but neither team were able to fully hit their stride as the game ended in a drab goalless draw.

On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game.

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#5. Bournemouth and Chelsea were evenly matched in the first half

Despite a disparity in possession stats in the first period, Bournemouth made the most of their time on the ball. They had just 33% of the ball in the first period but attempted five shots, with two on target that prompted saves from Robert Sanchez. Chelsea had identical shooting stats despite having much more of the ball and better chances to penetrate the hosts' 18-yard box.

While Bournemouth found it difficult to build consistent attacks and push forward, the Blues struggled to play accurate final balls as they squandered their chances.

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#4. The Blues showed glimpses of quality football in phases of the game

There is no doubt Chelsea have hoardes of quality players among their ranks, having invested heavily in the transfer market over the last couple of seasons. However, despite the quality on paper, they have been unable to convert it to results as they have lacked cohesion on the pitch in key moments.

Conor Gallagher, Raheem Sterling and Malo Gusto dominated the right flank and played some silky football. However, they were seldom supported by their teammates as the Blues struggled to bring fluidity to their game in the final third.

Mykhaylo Mudryk, too, had a decent game on the left flank but often lacked the decisiveness to make an impact.

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#3. Nicolas Jackson is not up to Premier League level

In five games so far, Jackson has scored just one goal, a tap-in against Luton Town which was created by Sterling's brilliant work. He had a couple of chances come his way in this game but failed to keep his composure in and around the 18-yard box. He even skied an attempt while losing his footing, making for a funny moment.

He attempted three shots, hitting the target just once and also hitting the woodwork once. His heat map was more like a false nine than a traditional number nine striker - a profile that Chelsea desperately need to maximise the output from their current set-up.

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#2. Both Sanchez and Neto played well between the sticks

Goalless draws usually have one or both goalkeepers performing at a high level and this was the case as Robert Sanchez and Neto had great games.

The Cherries stopper made six saves, with two in the first half and four in the second period as he led from the front as captain. Sanchez, on the other hand, made two stops on either side of half-time.

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#1. Bournemouth have a better record over the last 30 games

Chelsea have made several changes across multiple levels at the club, including change in ownership, multiple managerial changes as well as new players. However, they have yet to see a cohesive structure being built around all this new personnel as they struggle to replicate success from their past.

Over their last 34 league games, the Blues have won just 30 points, scoring 29 goals in that process. For a side that won the league with flying colors just six seasons ago, that makes for awful reading. Bournemouth, on the other hand, have won 32 points in their last 34 league games.