Independent:
Chelsea 3 Bournemouth 0
Pedro and Eden Hazard help set new win record as Blues stretch their lead
Antonio Conte's side record their 12th consecutive victory to stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League table
Ian Winrow Stamford Bridge Tuesday 27 December
Another game, another victory. Antonio Conte’s side maintained their relentless progress with two goals from Pedro and an Eden Hazard penalty securing a club record 12th successive league win that strengthened Chelsea’s position at the head of the Premier League table. The prospect of breaking the Premier League record of 13 wins against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane moved one step closer.
Forced to reshuffle his line-up in the absence of the suspended Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante, Conte could be satisfied the loss of two players who have stood out during the recent winning run was dealt with seamlessly. Bournemouth rarely looked capable of repeating their victory here of last December that hastened the departure of Jose Mourinho from Stamford Bridge while any prospect of Chelsea falling short in their bid to once again collect three points effectively disappeared when Pedro put them ahead in the 24th minute.
Conte’s decision not to replace Costa with Michy Batshuayi prompted some raised eyebrows. Batshuayi has yet to make his first Premier League start following his £33m summer move from Marseille and Conte’s comments last week suggested he believes the Belgium international still has some work to do before he can challenge for a starting place. To compound Batshuayi’s frustration, he was finally introduced in added time immediately after Pedro’s second, only for the referee to blow for time before play could resume.
However, the head coach’s decision to ask Eden Hazard to operate in a more central role, flanked by Pedro and Willian was quickly vindicated with the speed and movement of the Chelsea front three quickly proving too much for the Bournemouth defence, particularly with Cesc Fabregas clearly keen to show he is a more than capable deputy for Kante.
Fabregas’ long ball towards Pedro almost undid the visitors’ backline in the fifth minute and while Eddie Howe’s side carved out an early opportunity that was snuffed out by an excellent challenge by Cesar Azpilicueta, Chelsea remained dominant before Pedro’s outstanding strike that came after good work by Hazard and Fabregas.
The pair combined to work the ball through the middle of the Bournemouth defence before Pedro created space on the edge of the box and sent a fine chip over keeper Artur Boruc. The Spain winger later collected his fifth booking of the season and will now miss the home meeting with Stoke but his performance reinforced his value to Conte’s side.
Bournemouth responded well with Jack Wilshere testing Thibaut Courtois before seeing a volley deflected wide but there was little chance of Chelsea allowing the lead to slip.
Then four minutes after the restart, Hazard ensured the game was effectively over, producing another direct run that was halted by Simon Francis’s mistimed challenge inside his own box. The Belgian took the penalty himself, side-footing the ball inside Boruc’s left hand post with the keeper diving to his right.
Courtois was forced into another save to deny Benik Afobe, but Howe’s side were already hoping the final whistle would sound when Pedro’s positive run took him past two challenges before the Spaniard saw his shot deflected past Boruc off Steve Cook.
Chelsea (3-4-3): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill; Moses (Aina, 89), Fabregas, Matic, Alonso; Willian (Chalobah 82), Hazard (Batshuayi 93), Pedro. Subs not used: Begovic, Ivanovic, Zouma, Loftus-Cheek,
Bournemouth (3-5-1-1): Boruc; Francis, Cook, Daniels; A.Smith, Gosling, Surman (Stanislas 66), Arter, B.Smith (Ibe 77); Wilshere; King (Afobe 66). Subs not used: Federici, Mings, Fraser, Wilson.
Referee: Mike Jones.
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Telegraph:
Chelsea 3 Bournemouth 0
Pedro brace inspires Premier League leaders to club record 12th successive victory
Jeremy Wilson, deputy football correspondent, at Stamford Bridge
Antonio Conte might only have been Chelsea manager for six months but, in the club’s entire 111-year history, he now stands alone in overseeing the longest winning sequence of league matches. A 12th straight victory also puts Chelsea within 180 minutes of Arsenal’s all-time Premier League record, even if Conte quickly followed this emphatic 3-0 win against Bournemouth with the warning that such feats would be rendered meaningless if they do not remain at the top of the table.
His team’s advantage now stands at seven points and, with “Antonio” booming out around Stamford Bridge, the Shed End’s latest hero did feel sufficiently emboldened to declare that “a good message” had been sent to the chasing pack.
Suspensions meant that Chelsea were without both Diego Costa and N’Golo Kanté for the first time this season but, with Eden Hazard delivering a magnificent individual performance as the main striker, victory was rarely in doubt.
“I think a lot of people waited, that without two really important players, we could lose points in this game,” said Conte. “It didn’t happen. I can count on all my players in the squad. I try in every game to make the best decision for the team without looking at the faces.”
The contrast between Conte and Jose Mourinho with largely the same group of players last season is stark and has now been well rehearsed, but perhaps of greater relevance is another comparison. Not since Mourinho himself arrived in the Premier League with such swagger in 2004 has a manager made such an immediately impressive impact on English football.
Conte’s tactical switch to a three-man defence has prompted most comment but underpinning Chelsea’s success is something more subtle: the Italian’s charismatic man-management. His touchline energy has created an obvious connection with the Chelsea fans but, in his deft handling of the players, there was another example deep inside the second half here that was also instructive.
With the match won, Victor Moses had an excellent chance but, having sprinted 50 yards to get into position to score, he blazed his attempted finish horribly wide. Conte, though, simply stood applauding on the edge of his technical area and also made a point of offering similarly visual appreciation for Moses and his work-rate when he was later substituted.
These Chelsea players now look utterly devoted to their new manager and it is seeping through in how they are performing. Hazard was superb and, crucially, is back playing both with a smile and his old flamboyance. Having controversially opted against starting Michy Batshuayi, it was also striking how Conte made a point both of bringing on the club’s £33 million summer signing and then stressing that he would not be loaned out next month. “In the future I trust in him,” said Conte. “He is a new player for Chelsea; to go on loan now is a defeat for the club and for me.”
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe also made changes but was even more adventurous in mirroring Chelsea’s three at the back. That gave Jack Wilshere added freedom to push forward from midfield and his intelligent passing and increasing match sharpness helped Bournemouth match Chelsea early in the game. Hazard, though, made the greatest individual difference and, having orchestrated several rapid counter-attacks, he created the first clear chance by passing to Pedro, who shot just wide.
Hazard followed that with a quite sublime moment of skill to first turn several Bournemouth players and then slalom through much of the visitors’ defence to help force a corner.
The ball fell to Cesc Fabregas and was then fed to Pedro, who quickly turned and shot brilliantly over Artur Boruc and into the top corner.
Bournemouth were initially undeterred and still tried to take the game to Chelsea. Wilshere remained their main threat and himself weaved past Gary Cahill before forcing an excellent low save by Thibaut Courtois. He also had a goal-bound volley deflected wide.
Hazard then delivered further evidence of his rare crowd-pleasing gifts. It was unclear if he knew whether Fabregas had conceded a free-kick but he produced a spectacularly improvised “rabona” attempt from the edge of Bournemouth’s penalty area that still prompted a full-length diving save by Boruc.
Hazard also then drew a foul from Simon Francis, with Fabregas curling the subsequent free-kick only inches over. The Belgian was drifting constantly towards Francis on the right edge of Howe’s back three and, almost immediately after the second half had started, drew another clumsy tackle from the Bournemouth captain. Hazard calmly sent Boruc the wrong way from the penalty spot. The second goal noticeably relaxed Chelsea and both Willian and Moses then went close to adding a third.
Bournemouth also did not stop driving forward and substitute Benik Afobe did powerfully hold off David Luiz before being denied only by Courtois’s outstretched leg. Chelsea, though, were now coasting and, with Batshuayi waiting to come on, Pedro added a final shine to the scoreline in added time when his shot cannoned fortuitously off Steve Cook and past Boruc.
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Guardian:
Chelsea’s Pedro torments Bournemouth to stretch league winning run to 12
Chelsea 3 - 0 AFC Bournemouth
Paul MacInnes at Stamford Bridge
Bournemouth became the latest side to try to find a way through Antonio Conte’s relentless Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day. They also became the latest side to fall short.
Chelsea were missing both Diego Costa and N’Golo Kanté, ever present in the club’s march to the top of the Premier League. Bournemouth, meanwhile, switched their formation to a back three in an attempt to mirror and counter Conte’s successful shape.
Eddie Howe’s men were brave, determined and gave their all, but so did Chelsea and a difference in quality asserted to leave the home side just two games short of equalling Arsenal’s record of 14 consecutive victories in the Premier League.
All the talk before the match had been about Michy Batshuayi, Chelsea’s £33m striker who had yet to start for the club since joining in the summer but now had an opportunity in Costa’s absence. Conte however, considers the 23-year-old to be a work in progress. Instead, he opted to go without a No9 and with experience, as he pushed Eden Hazard through the middle with Willian and Pedro Rodríguez alongside him. Pedro scored twice while Hazard was successful from the penalty spot.
“Eden has a real talent,” Conte said, “but the most important thing is that he is putting his talent into the team. It’s so important he is doing such great things with the ball and without it. It is fantastic, I hope he continues to improve in this way. I am pleased for him and I am pleased for all my players because they did so well.”
Chelsea’s altered lineup felt their way into the match and it was not until the 15th minute that Hazard managed to create space for himself around the box, a low shot coming to nothing after an exchange of passes with Willian. From that point, however, the Belgian just got stronger. His blind pass sent Pedro clear for an opportunity in the 21st minute and it was a brilliant dribble from the Belgian that led to the corner from which Chelsea scored the opening goal.
Cesc Fàbregas took the corner, but played it short before heading for the penalty area. The ball found its way to Hazard who once again span his marker and found his Spanish team-mate on the edge of the box. Fàbregas found the delicate through-ball and the onrushing Pedro who took one touch wide and then another to chip the ball back, over Artur Boruc and into the far side of the net.
It was a goal of real class, and an opening that came from nowhere. That is the quality Conte’s team have in their locker and for a minute Bournemouth looked shocked; they had matched the hosts for effort but could nothing to stop their quality.
“I don’t think the first goal turned the game but it certainly didn’t help,” said a typically honest Howe. “We started well, looked solid and compact as a unit. I was pleased with how they were playing and then Chelsea produce a bit of magic. After that you’re looking at how you respond. We did well, had opportunities and it was the second goal that was a key moment in the game.”
Howe’s appraisal of the game was correct; Bournemouth could have drawn level after falling behind and perhaps should have had a penalty when Adam Smith was brought to the ground. But come the second half Chelsea emerged with a determination to settle the encounter.
Now noticeably sharper to the ball than Bournemouth, César Azpilicueta robbed them of the ball after Jack Wilshere played a pass marginally behind Harry Arter. Chelsea broke like a wild fire and advanced into the box with the defence on the turn. Simon Francis, who had struggled to get near Hazard in the previous 49 minutes, stuck out a leg and tripped the playmaker for a definite penalty. Hazard himself stepped up and send Boruc the wrong way to score.
Two-nil may be a dangerous scoreline but it carries less risk for this Chelsea team, so effective are they in defence and so deadly on the counter. Five minutes after the penalty Hazard nearly scored again as Chelsea broke from one end to the other in seconds. Willian led and finished the next break, with Boruc doing well to hold the Brazilian’s shot. Moses drove just wide in the 58th minute, Pedro curled beyond the far post in the 64th. In between times there was an impudent vignette as Hazard worked his way around a prone Fàbregas by deftly lifting the ball over his body.
Chelsea were oozing confidence and Conte was also at his most animated, slapping his thighs in frustration at imperfections that were imperceptible to most spectators. His side gave up just one chance for the remainder of the game, Thibaut Courtois doing enough to stop a shot from the substitute Benik Afobe.
Conte’s final gesture was to instruct that the ball be cleared into touch so that Batshuayi could come into the play for the final seconds of added time. Instead Chelsea went on another counterattack, Pedro shimmied into space and hit a fearsome shot that deflected off Steve Cook and into the net. Batshuayi made it on to the pitch just in time to hear the final whistle.
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Mail:
Chelsea 3-0 Bournemouth
Eden Hazard scores his 50th Premier League goal and Pedro nets a sublime chip as Blues bag 12th top-flight win in a row
By Matt Barlow for the Daily Mail
For 11 games, this Chelsea charge was personified by the snarling aggression of Diego Costa and the tireless legs of N’Golo Kante.
For their 12th win, it was about the supreme skill and ball trickery of Eden Hazard, with a dash of brilliance from Pedro and another clean sheet.
No Costa, no Kante, no problem. Twelve league wins in a row is a new club record and concern will ripple down the table as rivals wonder how on earth they might be stopped.
Chelsea are on top going into 2017 and perhaps the most ominous aspect of this sequence of victories is that Antonio Conte’s team seem capable of clearing hurdles of different shapes and sizes.
Defend like West Bromwich Albion and they batter away until they find a late winner. Attack like Manchester City and they pick you off with lethal counter-attacks.
Take out the 13-goal leading scorer and the midfield dynamo and Hazard responds with a delightful display of old-school dribbling, like the kid who found a new ball under the tree.
His display was a joy to behold for all but Eddie Howe and the Bournemouth defenders charged with keeping him quiet, and was capped by a penalty, won by himself and coolly converted for his 50th Premier League goal.
Pedro opened the scoring in the first half with a wonderful curling shot and grabbed a third in the final seconds of stoppage time with a deflected finish, though it was later credited as a Steve Cook own goal.
During the moments when they came under threat, Thibaut Courtois stood firm. The keeper has conceded only twice during the 12-match run and one of them was an own goal. Against Bournemouth, he made fine saves to deny Jack Wilshere and Benik Afobe at key moments in the game.
The only snag for Conte was a yellow card for Pedro, which means he will be suspended from Saturday’s game at home against Stoke. But with confidence soaring at Stamford Bridge and both Costa and Kante back in the fray after serving their one-match bans it will not trouble the Chelsea boss.
The new year games mark the halfway stage in the campaign and there is a long way to go, of course, but Chelsea are purring.
Bournemouth arrived with their own plan to stop the win machine.
With Nathan Ake ineligible against his parent club, Howe opted for a system with three central defenders and a packed midfield.
Wilshere tried to break in support of lone striker Josh King with some success in the first half but despite a bright opening and occasional chances, Howe’s team were no match for the Premier League leaders.
Chelsea dominated and Hazard flourished in his central role, which was enough to justify Conte’s decision to leave Michy Batshuayi watching from the bench until five seconds from the end.
Confidence is rushing through Chelsea to the extent that Gary Cahill halted one dangerous break by Bournemouth with a Cruyff-turn tackle, before launching another foray forward.
Chelsea went ahead midway through the first half. Hazard dropped deep, spun and found Cesc Fabregas, who threaded a short pass in to the feet of Pedro on the fringes of the penalty box.
There was still plenty to do as Pedro accepted the ball under pressure, and he shifted it from under his feet before clipping the sweetest left-footer over Artur Boruc and into the top corner.
Four minutes into the second half and Hazard was running at Bournemouth again. When he was tripped by Simon Francis, referee Mike Jones pointed to the spot. The visitors had been aggrieved by a series of decisions going against them in the first half but this was difficult to dispute.
Hazard continued to mesmerise with his slalom runs. Boruc saved from Willian, and both Victor Moses and Hazard fired wide when they ought to have hit the target.
Howe sent on Junior Stanislas and Afobe in an attempt to salvage something but his team were increasingly vulnerable on the break and Wilshere hobbled through the closing minutes while suffering badly from cramp.
Pedro completed the scoring with a lung-bursting run and a shot which was helped into the net by a heavy deflection off Cook.
The Spain striker is another comeback star of Chelsea’s return to form and another reason for Conte to feel rather pleased with the season so far.
CHELSEA (3-4-3): Courtois 7; Azpilicueta 6.5, Luiz 6, Cahill 6; Moses 6.5 (Aina 89), Fabregas 7, Matic 6.5, Alonso 6; Willian 7 (Chalobah 83), Hazard 8 (Batshuayi 90), Pedro 7.5.
Subs not used: Begovic, Ivanovic, Zouma, Loftus-Cheek.
Scorers: Pedro 23, Hazard 49 pen
Booked: Pedro
Manager: Antonio Conte 7.
BOURNEMOUTH (3-5-1-1): Boruc 6; Francis 5, Cook 5, Daniels 5; A Smith 6, Gosling 6.5, Surman 6.5 (Stanislas 66), Arter 6, B Smith 6 (Ibe 77); Wilshere 6; King 5 (Afobe 66).
Subs not used: Wilson, Federici, Fraser, Mings.
Booked: Wilshere
Manager: Eddie Howe 6.
Man of the Match: Eden Hazard
Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire) 6
Attendance: 41,384
THE 12-GAME RUN
Oct 1: Hull (A) 2-0
Oct 15: Leicester (H) 3-0
Oct 23: Manchester United (H) 4-0
Oct 30: Southampton (A) 2-0
Nov 5: Everton (H) 5-0
Nov 23: Middlesbrough (A) 1-0
Nov 26: Tottenham (H) 2-1
Dec 3: Manchester City (A) 3-1
Dec 11: West Brom (H) 1-0
Dec 14: Sunderland (A) 1-0
Dec 17: Crystal Palace (A) 1-0
Dec 26: Bournemouth (H) 3-0
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