Perfect Substitute saved Chelsea from Bournemouth as Nkunku late strike secured win for Chelsea
Christopher Nkunku stepped off the bench and combined with debutant Jadon Sancho to deliver a 1-0 victory for Chelsea at Bournemouth.
The home side had an Evanilson penalty saved and Marcus Tavernier and Ryan Christie both hit the woodwork, but with just four minutes of normal time remaining, Chelsea’s substitutes linked up to grab maximum points for the visitors.
Standout Sancho, a Deadline Day loan signing from Manchester United, stepped in off the left flank before playing Nkunku into the box, where the forward spun and finished into the bottom corner for his first league goal of the season.
The late winner capped a night of drama on the south coast, with the match also seeing a record 14 yellow cards dished out. It was far from an aggressive battle of a game but both sides may feel the other should have been down to 10, with Lewis Cook and Marc Cucurella going close to picking up a second booking in the second half.
Chelsea – who had goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to thank for his spot-kick save in the first half after Wesley Fofana’s poor backpass had led to the Spaniard tumbling Evanilson – have now won both of their away games this season and are up to seventh in the early Premier League table.
Bournemouth sit 11th, with their unbeaten start to the campaign over. After grabbing a thrilling late win at Everton before the international break, Andoni Iraola’s side will be left wondering what could have been if Tavernier’s rocket, Christie’s drive or that penalty for Evanilson had found the net.
