Chelsea missed the chance to close the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal as they were forced to settle for a frustrating 0-0 draw against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Arsenal’s defeat earlier on Saturday had opened the door for Enzo Maresca’s men to edge closer in the title race, but despite an energised second-half push, Chelsea couldn’t find the killer touch to unlock a resilient Bournemouth side who came into the game with four defeats in their last five.
The visitors had goalkeeper Robert Sánchez to thank for preserving a point, his outstanding reflexes repeatedly shutting the door on Andoni Iraola’s team, especially during a dominant spell for the Cherries before the break.
Bournemouth thought they had the perfect start when Antoine Semenyo smashed home inside three minutes, only for VAR to step in for an offside call.
The hosts pressed on, Marcus Tavernier forcing Sánchez into an early stop.
Chelsea, meanwhile, struggled to settle. The recalled centre-back pairing of Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah looked shaky, while Semenyo consistently got the better of Malo Gusto down the flank.
Liam Delap’s match ended early due to a shoulder injury, with Marc Guiu surprisingly chosen to replace him.
As Bournemouth ramped up the pressure late in the half, Sánchez produced a series of heroic saves, first denying Evanilson from close range, then thwarting both Alex Scott and Semenyo to keep the scores level at the interval.
Chelsea sharpened up after the restart. Neto finally tested Djordje Petrovic at the other end, and Alejandro Garnacho, previously quiet, headed against the post before firing narrowly wide from distance. Guiu had the visitors’ best chance, but sliced horribly over from six yards, while Cole Palmer’s tame effort was easily gathered.
With 15 minutes to go, Maresca threw on teenage sensation Estêvão in search of inspiration, yet it was Bournemouth who almost snatched the win.
Semenyo once again found space and unleashed a fierce effort, only for Sánchez to produce another superb save.
In the end, Chelsea’s lack of precision in the final third proved costly, leaving them to rue a missed opportunity in the title chase while Bournemouth walked away with a deserved point.
