It was a comfortable night, despite the low score line, for the Blues who ran out 1-0 winners over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. Eden Hazard grabbed the only goal of the game in the second half but was it enough to get him Man of the Match?
3. Antonio Rudiger
Replaced Gary Cahill in the starting 11 by Antonio Conte and it proved a stroke of genius by the Italian. Rudiger was an immovable object on the left of the back 3, keeping the likes of Jordon Ibe, Callum Wilson and Benik Afobe at bay with relative ease. It wasn’t just his defensive work that impressed though. On the ball, he’s as composed as any of the Chelsea defenders and has an eye for a pass. He switched the play on a few occasions – making it look so easy to play a 40-yard pass over to Davide Zappacosta. The Blues opted to play out from the back and the German barely gave the ball away in the process and linked up well with Tiemoue Bakayoko to set Chelsea on the attack.
2. Cesar Azpilicueta
Another brilliant defensive display from another member of Chelsea’s back 3. Captain for the day, Azpilicueta was a rock at the back and let nothing get past him. It was one of those performances where, as a fan, you had full confidence in the Spaniard to make any tackle, any block and any header he attempted. In fact, he got his head on a cross at a vital time as Bournemouth players queued up behind him to nod into the net. He flicked the ball backwards, over all of them, and out of the danger zone in a moment that summed up his excellent performance. Also got involved in the attacking play and provided an option on the right of midfield, a position where he’s set up Alvaro Morata a number of times so far this season. Almost bagged a goal of his own but his effort was saved at point blank range by Asmir Begovic, only for the offside flag to go up anyway before Morata tucked away the rebound.
1. Eden Hazard
In a game largely dominated by the Blues, it was Eden Hazard who stood out as their brightest spark. He lurked in many different attacking positions so the opposition couldn’t pick him up and it seemed to work as he got on the ball far too often for Bournemouth’s liking. His quick turns on the halfway line set up Chelsea attacks and he had the ability to find either Morata or Pedro in a dangerous position. His goal came when Morata hit a hopeful ball in his direction and Simon Francis missed it. The Belgian surged towards goal and powered a left-footed strike past Begovic at his near post, the pace on the ball beat the former Chelsea goalkeeper. He almost doubled his tally after a one-two with Pedro but the Spaniard’s return ball was just behind Hazard and the Belgian, off balance, shot high and wide. He was replaced by Willian with the game drawing to a close and received a thoroughly deserved standing ovation from the away supporters.