How Chelsea won it
Chelsea, in a 3-4-2-1, scored with their first real move in front of a crowd of 39,676. In the 2nd minute Cole Palmer found Henderson outside the box and his right-footed shot went into the bottom left corner. A minute later Henderson turned provider, and Rogers finished right-footed from the left side of the box into the top right corner. According to Sky Sports, the 2-0 lead came after 2 minutes 29 seconds, the earliest Chelsea have ever led by two goals in a Premier League game.
Bournemouth, in a 4-2-3-1 under Marco Rose, kept the score at 2-0 until half-time, and Emiliano Martínez stopped Rayan just before the break. The second half started the way the first had. In the 46th minute Pedro Neto set up João Pedro, whose right-footed shot from the centre of the box went into the top right corner for 3-0.
Evanilson pulled one back in the 51st minute, scoring from very close range after a corner. Chelsea restored the three-goal margin in the 67th, when Pep Chavarría crossed and João Pedro scored his second, again from the centre of the box. Three minutes later Palmer was fouled about 25 yards out, Sky Sports reported, and Henderson took the free kick himself, curling it into the top right corner for 5-1. Henderson finished with two goals and an assist, and Palmer, Neto and Chavarría had one assist each.
- 2' Jordan Henderson (Chelsea), assisted by Cole Palmer, after a corner: 1-0
- 3' Morgan Rogers (Chelsea), assisted by Jordan Henderson, after a corner: 2-0
- 46' João Pedro (Chelsea), assisted by Pedro Neto, after a corner: 3-0
- 51' Evanilson (AFC Bournemouth), after a corner: 3-1
- 67' João Pedro (Chelsea), assisted by Pep Chavarría, after a corner: 4-1
- 70' Jordan Henderson (Chelsea), direct free kick, after a corner: 5-1
Turning points
There were no penalties and no red cards. The one VAR check Sky Sports reported came on the second goal: João Pedro was checked for offside before Rogers scored, and the goal stood.
Their discipline suffered. Bournemouth were shown four yellow cards, all for fouls: Marcus Tavernier in the 10th minute, Adrien Truffert in the 42nd, Tyler Adams in the 62nd and Ryan Christie in the 69th. Chelsea had none, and committed 7 fouls to Bournemouth's 15. Rose made a change at half-time, Ben Gannon-Doak for David Brooks, and three more in the 72nd and 73rd minutes, sending on Juanlu Sanchez, Álvaro Rodríguez and Lewis Cook. By then the score was 5-1.
Alonso took off João Pedro and Moisés Caicedo in the 72nd minute for Marco Palestra and Romeo Lavia, then brought on Danny Welbeck, Estêvão and Malo Gusto in the last ten minutes. Chelsea had lost at Brentford before the international break, and Alonso told Sky Sports he was happy with how much of the game his team controlled.
Today it was a very complete performance.
Xabi Alonso, Chelsea manager, to Sky Sports
Chelsea vs Bournemouth stats
The numbers were much closer than the score. Possession was split almost exactly, Bournemouth had nine shots to Chelsea's ten and won seven corners to one. The difference was finishing: Chelsea scored five times from six shots on target, while Bournemouth scored once from four, with Martínez making three saves.
| Chelsea | AFC Bournemouth | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 49.9% | 50.1% |
| Shots | 10 | 9 |
| Shots on target | 6 | 4 |
| Corners | 1 | 7 |
| Fouls | 7 | 15 |
| Yellow cards | 0 | 4 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Saves | 3 | 1 |
| Offsides | 1 | 0 |
| Passes completed | 400 of 476 | 386 of 459 |
What it means for the table
Chelsea began the matchweek 10th with seven points from five games and are 6th with 10 (three wins, one draw, two defeats, goals 15-13), and their goal difference went from minus two to plus two. That is before Newcastle United, 11th with eight points, play their game in hand at Coventry City on 12 October; a Newcastle win would take them above Chelsea. Chelsea are level on points with Brentford (4th) and Everton (5th), who are ahead on goal difference, three points behind third-placed Brighton & Hove Albion and eight behind Manchester City, who have won all six games. The Premier League table has the full standings.
Bournemouth stay 17th with three points and are still without a league win this season: three draws and three defeats. They are out of the bottom three only on goals scored. Tottenham Hotspur, 18th, also have three points and a goal difference of minus six, but have scored three goals to Bournemouth's seven. Coventry City, 19th with three points, have a game in hand, at home to Newcastle United on 12 October; these positions are before that match. Sunderland, 16th, are one point ahead. Rose did not play it down.
We need to face the reality - three points after six games.
Marco Rose, Bournemouth manager, to Sky Sports
Rose is one of nine managers who started the season at a new club, as listed in our piece on Premier League manager sackings, and for how many points survival has usually taken, see our count of the Premier League relegation line.
What's next for Chelsea and Bournemouth
Chelsea go to Everton on Saturday 17 October 2026, kickoff 12:30 BST, a game between two sides level on 10 points. Bournemouth host Sunderland on Sunday 18 October 2026, kickoff 14:00 BST, against the team one point and one place above them. The rest of the round is on the Premier League fixtures page, and the Premier League simulator lets you play out the rest of the season from the current table.
How this report was built: the score, goals, assists, cards, substitutions, line-ups, team stats and attendance come from ESPN's match data. The table before and after matchweek 6 is our own, computed from ESPN full-time results, with Coventry City v Newcastle United still to play. The quotes, the VAR check, the free-kick distance, Martínez's save from Rayan and the club record for the fastest 2-0 lead come from Sky Sports' match report.