The story of Bournemouth's rise to the Premier League is intertwined with that of their ex-player and manager Eddie Howe. In administration and in the depths of League Two, Howe took over in 2008 at the age of just 31 - the Youngest Manager in the Football League at the time. He would guide the team to 3 promotions in 6 seasons, reaching the Premier League in 2015.
They've been a regular since, save for a 2 season spell back in the Championship after Howe left. He's now managing Newcastle in the Champions League, Bournemouth turning to Spaniard Andoni Iraola, who has quietly become one of the best coaches in the Premier League. Iraola had Bournemouth finish 9th with 56 points last season, both club records.
Overall Record : W9 - D3 - L4
Key Statistics
Points Per Game at Stamford Bridge (1.25, =2nd)
Percentage of Games won at Stamford Bridge (38%, 2nd)
Chelsea Away Win Percentage (63%, =3rd)
Chelsea Away Points Per Game (2.13, 3rd)
Chelsea Biggest Home Defeat (0-3, =3rd)
Chelsea Biggest Away Defeat (4-0, =3rd)
Our history with Bournemouth isn't the greatest. Especially at home. When the Cherries came up in 2015, they won at the Bridge in our first Premier League meeting through a late Glenn Murray goal. A Hazard brace meant we won 4-1 away in the reverse fixture and Antonio Conte's methods saw us complete the double over them in the 2016-17 season on the way to our last Premier League title.
We would also do the double over Bournemouth in our worst season in Premier League history, Joao Felix sealing a 3-1 win under Frank Lampard, the only win we would see since the 11th of March till the 2022-2023 season ended.
However, two matches stick out like sore thumbs here. Under Antonio Conte, Chelsea let in 3 second half goals as Bournemouth won 3-0 at the Bridge in 2018. A little over a year later when we had Mauricio Sarri at the helm, the Cherries would go one better and win 4-0, all 4 goals again coming in the second half at the Vitality Stadium. At the time this was our largest Premier League defeat, but that record would only last until our next away game where we lost 6-0 at the Etihad.
Since Bournemouth returned to the Premier League for their second spell, we're unbeaten against them in 6, winning 4 and drawing 2. Iraola, as mentioned before, has made them a solid Premier League team and a late Nkunku winner saw us take 3 points from the Vitality in a poor tempered match. Anthony Taylor showing 14 Yellow Cards - 8 to Chelsea players - which set the Premier League Record. Most of the big teams have struggled against them though, and their future looks secure.
They Played for Both
One of Bournemouth's most accomplished Premier League signings has been Nathan Ake. The Dutchman was their record signing in 2017 after coming through the Blues youth system, and would be their record sale 3 years later as he made his move to Manchester City. Ake and Gary Cahill, referenced in the Villa article, have played for both teams.
🇧🇦🤯 11 YEARS AGO TODAY: Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic scored a goal from 97.5 yards out!💥 pic.twitter.com/gc4nYcJ8VF
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) November 2, 2024
On top of the shared resources between the clubs has been the goalkeepers. Kepa was on loan their last season and did well, with the Cherries trusting our keepers by signing Djordje Petrovic to be their number 1 for the foreseeable future. And it was a keeper in Asmir Begovic who is the most high profile player to play for Bournemouth before Chelsea, spending a season on loan there in 2007. After two seasons as Chelsea's number 2 from 2015 to 2017, Begovic returned to Bournemouth for a 3 year spell.
Next up it's the short trip West to Brentford.
