Delap's injury and VAR drama as Bournemouth and Chelsea share goalless stalemate
Bournemouth and Chelsea played out a bruising 0-0 draw at the Vitality Stadium in which Liam Delap’s shoulder injury and Antoine Semenyo’s early disallowed goal overshadowed a contest long on intensity but short on precision in the final third. The Cherries unsettled Enzo Maresca’s side with a ferocious opening and carved out the better chances across the 90 minutes, only to be denied repeatedly by a superb Robert Sánchez and their own wayward finishing.
Chelsea, who had not failed to score in the league since the opening weekend, saw their lengthy scoring streak snapped and a chance to close the gap on the Premier League leaders slip by, despite an improved second-half display. Bournemouth extended their own winless run to six games, but after a meek defeat to Everton in midweek, Andoni Iraola could at least point to a performance that once again resembled his high-octane blueprint.
Semenyo’s early strike ruled out as Bournemouth fly out of the blocks