Match ends, Bournemouth 1, Chelsea 4.
BournemouthAFC Bournemouth1ChelseaChelsea4
Eden Hazard scored his first league goals of the season as Chelsea overcame Bournemouth in an entertaining game.
Cesc Fabregas provided Chelsea's first three goals, teeing up Pedro and Hazard in the first half before releasing Willian for the third after the break.
The Cherries had got back to 2-1 when Tommy Elphick's header crept in before the interval.
But Hazard, who netted 19 times last season, finished from Nemanja Matic's pull-back in injury time.
Relive Chelsea's victory at Bournemouth
Hazard lights up
The Belgian, returning from a five-game lay-off with a hip injury, had been held up as one of the main men culpable for Jose Mourinho's departure as Chelsea boss in December, following a horrendous start to their Premier League title defence.
In contrast to the 2014-15 campaign, when he was voted player of the year by his fellow professionals, Hazard had looked lacking in motivation and desire at times this term, with his only two goals coming in the FA Cup.
Hazard was one of seven Blues players who had started their shock 1-0 loss to Bournemouth five months ago, but he was direct and effective in the return fixture at Dean Court.
Fabregas, having already slipped in a through-ball for Pedro to finish one-on-one for the opener, teed up Hazard with a clever backheel and the former Lille forward found the bottom corner from 20 yards out.
And after Willian, once again racing on to a Fabregas pass, had restored a two-goal cushion, Hazard poked in his second to finish off a display that would have left incoming manager Antonio Conte excited about the talent at his disposal when he comes to Stamford Bridge in the summer.
Cherries fall away
Bournemouth's contribution to a game between two sides with little to play for should not go unheralded, and it is a testament to their tremendous season that a win would have drawn them level on points with ninth-placed Chelsea.
It is no longer a surprise to see Eddie Howe's men competing with the top tier's strongest outfits and they did well, particularly in the first half, to test a Chelsea defence that had makeshift centre-half John Mikel Obi at its heart after Gary Cahill had fallen ill overnight.
Steve Cook shot over when he should have scored after keeper Asmir Begovic had flapped at a cross.
And they deserved to get back into the game when Elphick's header from a short corner slid in off Begovic's right-hand glove.
The Cherries drifted out of the contest as the game drew on, but Callum Wilson stepped off the bench for the third consecutive game as he continues his positive recovery from a seven-month injury lay-off.
Man of the match - Cesc Fabregas
What they said
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe: "It was an even game, certainly for the first half I thought we were terrific - the difference between the sides was how they finished their goals.
"We created a number of chances but didn't have their clinical edge. Second half, they were better and I thought Chelsea's attitude to the game was spot on, that's why it ended up being such a high quality game.
"The beauty of our run-in, which is so tough on paper, is that we're learning all the time. We're still finding our feet at this level, they've been harsh lessons for us but hopefully we'll come out of it a better team."
Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink: "We're very pleased with the performance, especially in the second half.
"It was a very open, entertaining game. Bournemouth have a very good build-up and create good chances.
"It was good discipline and good to see some players who have been absent recently, scoring goals.
"We worked with Eden Hazard for the last 10 days, his movement was good and we talked about playing him for 45 minutes or perhaps more, but in the end he was enjoying it and he came through the whole game."
What's next?
Bournemouth, sat in 13th but with no risk of going down, can go above 11th-placed Everton if they beat them next Saturday.
Chelsea can sabotage Tottenham's title hopes when they host their London rivals on Monday, 2 May. It was a point not lost on the travelling Blues fans at Dean Court, who sung about their desire to go on and beat Spurs.
"I didn't hear what the fans were singing because I was so focused on the game," said Hiddink. "But we play the next game to win. And the next game is Tottenham."
The stats you need to know
- Bournemouth have lost three home league games in a row for the first time since March 2013
- Chelsea scored with all four of their shots on target in the game
- Eden Hazard - who scored more than once in a Premier League game for the first time since February 2014 - ended a run of 29 Premier League games without a goal
- Cesc Fabregas assisted three or more goals in a Premier League game for the second time in his career (four assists for Arsenal v Blackburn, Oct 2009)
- Tommy Elphick's goal was the 900th goal scored in this Premier League season
- The Cherries have now conceded in each of their last seven Premier League games
- Pedro has scored five goals in his last seven Premier League appearances after netting just two in the 19 beforehand
Line-ups
Bournemouth
Formation 4-4-1-1
- 1Boruc
- 2Francis
- 5Elphick
- 3S Cook
- 11Daniels
- 19StanislasSubstituted forRitchieat 78'minutesBooked at 89mins
- 4Gosling
- 6Surman
- 7Pugh
- 28GrabbanSubstituted forAfobeat 63'minutes
- 17KingSubstituted forWilsonat 63'minutes
Substitutes
- 13Wilson
- 16MacDonald
- 20Afobe
- 23Federici
- 29Wiggins
- 30Ritchie
- 32O'Kane
Chelsea
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Begovic
- 28Azpilicueta
- 12Mikel
- 2Ivanovic
- 6Baba
- 4Fàbregas
- 21Matic
- 17Pedro
- 10E Hazard
- 22WillianSubstituted forLoftus-Cheekat 83'minutes
- 19Diego Costa
Substitutes
- 9Falcao
- 11Da Silva
- 14Traore
- 16Kenedy
- 20Miazga
- 32Amelia
- 36Loftus-Cheek
- Referee:
- Roger East
- Attendance:
- 11,365
Match Stats
Home TeamBournemouthAway TeamChelsea
- Possession
- Home45%
- Away55%
- Shots
- Home13
- Away16
- Shots on Target
- Home4
- Away4
- Corners
- Home10
- Away7
- Fouls
- Home11
- Away4
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Bournemouth 1, Chelsea 4.
Post update
Offside, Chelsea. Pedro tries a through ball, but Diego Costa is caught offside.
Post update
Eden Hazard (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Simon Francis (Bournemouth).
Goal!
Goal! Bournemouth 1, Chelsea 4. Eden Hazard (Chelsea) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Nemanja Matic.
Booking
Matt Ritchie (Bournemouth) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Matt Ritchie (Bournemouth).
Post update
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Dan Gosling.
Post update
Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by César Azpilicueta.
Post update
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution
Substitution, Chelsea. Ruben Loftus-Cheek replaces Willian because of an injury.
Post update
Delay in match Willian (Chelsea) because of an injury.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Dan Gosling (Bournemouth) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Benik Afobe.
Post update
Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by John Obi Mikel.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Tommy Elphick (Bournemouth) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Matt Ritchie with a cross.
Post update
Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by John Obi Mikel.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Charlie Daniels (Bournemouth) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution
Substitution, Bournemouth. Matt Ritchie replaces Junior Stanislas.
