Chelsea 0-1 Bournemouth: 3 Key Observations from the game | Premier League 2019-20

#2 Bournemouth's narrow 4-5-1 formation worked a treat

Eddie Howe has a reason to smile

Bournemouth have been struggling with injuries lately and a trip to Stamford Bridge was never going to be easy for them. But credit to Eddie Howe as his team came to London with a clear gameplan and it worked wonderfully well.

Howe set-up Bournemouth in a narrow 4-5-1, with Joshua King leading the line. The plan was to suffocate Chelsea's attacks down the middle and crowd the central area of the pitch. By doing that, they allowed the Blues room down the wings but the home side never really took advantage of that.

That meant, Chelsea couldn't manage to carve open Bournemouth's backline even once and every time the away side won the ball back, there was the threat of a counter-attack, with willing runners such as Ryan Fraser and King.

Most of the attacking impetus came down that left flank for Bournemouth but they scored their goal through a simple corner. What Bournemouth did to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday should be the blueprint for every side that visits the Blues' home ground.