Proud of very convincing FA Cup wins, Chelsea and Bournemouth will try to continue on from that on Tuesday’s Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge, the two sides are only three points apart in the table.
Maresca’s men inflicted a 5-0 mauling on Morecambe on Saturday and the Cherries reserves outplayed higher divisional opponents West Bromwich Albion 5-1 to reach the fourth round.
That has been the style of operation in so many of the matches in this Conference League season, and Maresca’s second Chelsea XI had a relatively hassle free time on Saturday when Morecambe visitors came, saw and were conquered 5-0.
Again and again, game-long objectives were set at Stamford Bridge with Tosin Adarabioyo and Joao Felix scoring twice and, as usual, a cup goal from Christopher Nkunku The home fans got their momentary joy in the match when their goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne denied Tosin Adarabioyo a foothold when he saved him from the penalty spot in the second half.
That miss from the penalty spot was a small taste of frustration for Chelsea, but Maresca’s men have suffered a few big blows in the Premier League of late and, perhaps, their manager is right: this club is not worthy of the title.
In fact, Chelsea have managed only two points out of the possible dozen in the most recent four Premier League fixtures, the most recent of those being the that ended in a 1-1 stalemate at the Selhurst Park against another London club Palmer on Sunday; this left the club 10 points behind Liverpool, but having a game in palm than the Reds.
All of Newcastle United, Manchester City and Bournemouth could overhaul the Blues if they produce satisfactory run in the midweek round of matches which sees the possibility of the hosts suffering two consecutive Premier League defeats at the Stamford Bridge for the first time since September 2023.
After Taylor's first goal for the Baggies, Bournemouth had to earn it the hard way against West Brom, but the Cherries swiftly went on the rampage to prolong their incredible unbeaten run. Bournemouth also blasted five goals past lower-league opponents over the weekend.
With two goals at the end of the day, Dango Ouattara led Bournemouth to their eighth straight win at the Vitality Stadium. Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo, and Jebbison all helped the team win the third round.
When Everton visited on January 4, Iraola's team wasn't in particularly strong goal-scoring form, but a single goal from Brooks—and a beautiful one at that—was sufficient to boost the Cherries' European credentials and solidify their top-seven position in the Premier League standings.
Only the top two teams in the Premier League, Liverpool (15) and Arsenal (10), are now on longer streaks without a loss than Bournemouth, who have achieved club history with an eight-game winning streak since their most recent loss to Brighton & Hove Albion in late November.
The visitors have scored multiple goals in each of their previous five Premier League away games, which has been crucial to the Cherries' continental push. However, they have lost six straight versus Chelsea after suffering a 1-0 home loss in September at the hands of Nkunku.
With his goal over the weekend, the 21-year-old has established himself as a contender to start at Stamford Bridge; however, Ben Winterburn, 20, will be replaced by either Ouattara or Semenyo as the offensive line leader this weekend.
