With a drab goalless draw, Bournemouth and Chelsea maintained their underwhelming starts to the Premier League season.
Andoni Iraola’s Cherries are yet to record a league victory, while Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea have one victory to show for their five league contests.
Nicolas Jackson and Raheem Sterling both hit the woodwork, while Levi Colwill had a goal disallowed for offside, giving Chelsea the better chances.
new Blues acquisition Late in the game, Cole Palmer had an opportunity to win, but his shot was straight at Neto.
Dominic Solanke forced a stop from Robert Sanchez and missed a goal opportunity for Bournemouth, who also had chances to win.
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Chelsea has yet to gel.
In a match where both teams lacked confidence and the defenses were in control, the last ball was weak and strikers misfired.
Chelsea had six substitutes with no prior Premier League experience and academy product Conor Gallagher serving as captain despite their pricey and extensive recruitment efforts.
Moises Caicedo, a £100 million midfielder for the Blues, was sidelined with a knee injury sustained while representing Ecuador at an international level.
Mykhailo Mudryk, who was starting in the Premier League for the first time under Pochettino, found Jackson, who shot from the edge of the box but missed the base of the post.
None of Raheem Sterling’s four shots tested the goalie, showing that he was not quite as explosive as in previous weeks.
When Captain Gallagher wriggled free from 10 yards away, he should have performed better, but his effort was too central, and Neto dipped low to make the save.
Sterling’s free-kick struck the angle of the post and bar and bounced on the line without fully crossing it, which was probably their greatest play of the game. Colwill received the ball and shot, but the Blues defender’s attempt was disallowed because he was out of position when the free-kick was delivered.
Results will improve if the Blues can improve their finishing, but right now they are 14th.
