Chelsea 1-0 Bournemouth: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis | Carabao Cup 2018-19
Chelsea pipped Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup quarter-final to set up a mouth-watering clash against top rivals Tottenham Hotspur. A late strike from Eden Hazard that owned a slice of fortune took the hosts through after plenty of chances had gone begging.
The Cherries too, tested Kepa Arrizabalaga, but couldn't open up the Chelsea defence. Despite tons of possession, 12 attempts on target and almost 900 completed passes, Maurizio Sarri's men could only find the back of the net once.
Nevertheless, they got the job done on a cold, windy night at West London. Meanwhile, Manchester City, who beat Leicester City on penalties, will take on third-tier team Burton Albion in the semis.
Coming back to this game at the Bridge, let's take a look at the major talking points from Chelsea's narrow victory over Eddie Howe's Bournemouth.
#1 Chelsea start brightly, create numerous chances
At home, one would expect Chelsea to kick-start proceedings at a frenetic yet comfortable pace. They did just that, by pushing the opponent's backline deeper, running at them and winning two corners in as many minutes.
Willian, who looked lively all evening, didn't make the best out of the corners but registered his team's first shot on goal in the 6th minute. Having picked up the ball in the middle thirds of the pitch, the Brazilian drove forward and tested Boruc with a fine effort.
The very next minute, long-distance specialist Ross Barkley took it upon himself to open the scoring as he drilled a low strike towards goal. Bournemouth's custodian was yet again asked to dirty his gloves.
Moments later, skipper Cesar Azpilicueta, who wasn't expected to start, took a shot on goal. However, it was the worst of the three.
The Cherries, who went into the game with a unique 3-5-2 formation that saw Nathan Ake and Junior Stanislas play on the same line in a 5-man midfield, struggled to keep hold of the ball. Consequentially, Mousset and Callum Wilson failed to see much of the ball.
At the 20th minute mark or so, Chelsea almost had 80% of the ball.