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Chelsea was in the front foot from the word go which you would expect from the home side with Willian making some quality runs down the flanks. Antonio Rudiger got an unmarked header from a corner but failed to keep it down. They were trying to provide some width and make the pitch as significant as they can which allowed Alonso and Willian to find spaces behind the full backs repeatedly.
A sloppy play from David Luiz allowed Bournemouth to run at the Chelsea defense, but an excellent Ngolo Kante tracked back and denied Frazer a shot on goal. Chelsea was reportedly knocking the door of Begovic's goal, and it looked like a matter of time before the Blues finally get their goal.
Against the run of play, Callum Wilson got a delightful cross from Rico, but he failed to connect it and missed a clear chance to open the scoring for Bournemouth. Cook made a great block to deny Morata from five yards out. Soon after, Marcos Alonso's shot rifled into the post from outside the box and Bournemouth breath a sigh of relief. Despite all the chances for either side, it remained goalless in the first half.
The second half started in the same manner as was the first. Chelsea used the wings well but failed to trouble Begovic on goal. The Cherries come close when Rico's corner fell nicely for Ake, but the former Chelsea man couldn't poke home from close range.
Finally, Chelsea made the breakthrough with the substitute Pedro found space on the edge of the area and his low shot went into the bottom corner. With Bournemouth looking for the equalizer they left themselves vulnerable at the back which saw Hazard doubling Chelsea's lead with a low shot into the bottom right-hand corner.
The game ended with a 2-0 victory to Chelsea which saw them join Liverpool on top of the Premier League and it is the first time in four years that they have managed to win four opening games of a season.
Here are the three talking points from the game at the Stanford Bridge.
#1 Morata's poor form
Alvaro Morata was in the center of criticism last season for his performances which saw him dropping into the bench under Antonio Conte. There were rumors of him leaving the club in the summer but the new manager Maurizio Sarri decided to give the striker another chance at the Stanford Bridge to prove his worth. However, he is yet to prove his worth this season.
Out of the four games played, the striker has looked all but out of sorts and never really managed to threat the opposing defense. With Giroud on the bench, he will have to deliver as soon a possible else he might suffer the same fate he did last season.
#2 Classic Eden Hazard
The Belgian was fantastic throughout the match. He repeatedly made inroads from the left wing into the Bournemouth penalty area but failed to provide the finishing touch in the first half. Chelsea was exploiting the width a lot more in the game which allowed Hazard to have more of the ball and find passes in the Cherries penalty box.
His effort paid off when he picked the ball up on the left, dribbled into the box and hit a low shot into the bottom right-hand corner giving Begovic no chance to save it. Eden Hazard is crucial for Chelsea this season if they have to win the Premier League and Sarri will be hoping that his talisman stays fit till the end of the season.
#3 Missed chances from Bournemouth
Eddie Howe's Bournemouth took 25 points at the beginning of last season from losing positions and the same resilience they have shown this season also with a couple of hard-fought wins from their previous three matches.
Callum Wilson could have put the visitors in front, but he missed his shot entirely in the first half. They will rue all the half chances that they squandered. The determination that they showed in their last few games was needed today as well, and they did put up a valiant effort to get back into the match, but against Chelsea, at the Stanford Bridge if you don't take your chances you have to pay.
