Super Sup Christopher Nkunku to the rescue in Chelsea's 1-0 Victory over Bournemouth

Christopher Nkunku celebrating his goal against Bournemouth. Image credit: Getty Images

Christopher Nkunku was the super sub for Chelsea in their tough-fought 1-0 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League.  

It was far from a pretty game at the Vitality Stadium as 14 yellow cards were dished out by Anthony Taylor, which set a new Premier League record for yellow cards given in a single match.  

The Cherries were the better side for the first 60 minutes of the game and would regret not taking advantage of numerous chances. A mix-up between Robert Sanchez and Wesley Fofana led to a penalty for Bournemouth, however, Sanchez redeemed himself and excellently saved Evanilson’s penalty. The Spanish goalkeeper kept the Blues in the game and earned his first clean sheet of the season.  

The game looked destined to finish in a goalless draw until Nkunku showed off his talent in the 86th minute, as he received the ball in the box, wriggled his way through three defenders and poked the ball into the back of the net. 

Jadon Sancho marked his impressive debut for Chelsea with an assist for the goal. His introduction at the start of the second half changed the game for the Blues as he immediately displayed his dribbling ability. The former Manchester United man added another dimension to Chelsea’s attack. As he caused trouble to the defenders stretching out the width of the defence to leave Bournemouth increasingly vulnerable.  

After the game, Maresca acknowledged his side’s topsy-turvy performance: “I think we played two different games. First half, we struggled we didn't win duels we didn’t win second balls. Second half, I think it was much better.”  

This game did show Malo Gusto and Reece James’ significance in this team as their absence was abundantly clear throughout the match. Axel Disasi struggled against Bournemouth in the right-back role as he was unable to provide support going forward and looked completely out of place when asked to defend out wide. Later in the game, Maresca switched out Disasi for Tosin Adarabioyo and moved Fofana to right-back. Fofana was an upgrade on Fofana but Maresca and fans will hope that Gusto or James will be fit for the game at the London Stadium next Saturday.   

Chelsea’s performance was far from their best, however, Blues fans can appreciate that the team still got the three points. Also, the abundance of talent that Chelsea used off the bench was a sign of the growing volume of quality in this squad which this project was all about forming.