Jose Mourinho’s side produced another disjointed display and were stunned in the 82nd minute when Glenn Murray headed home after a goalmouth scramble.
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Nemanja Matic squandered a wonderful chance to take the lead 10 minutes into the second half, as Nemanja Matic managed to head over the crossbar from six-yards out.
And the Portuguese has criticised referee Mike Jones for two key decision which went against his team.
In the first few games of the season when Chelsea were struggling, the supporters were singing, “we are staying up”, joking that they were in a relegation battle. Fortunately for Hazard, Gary Cahill blocked.
Stanislas was back again, this time after Pedro gave away possession, but Courtois was able to save.
Costa’s arrival in place of the ineffective Oscar meant Hazard could operate wherever he wanted, usually down the left.
The Spain striker returned to offer his usual muscle and mayhem but it did not change Chelsea’s luck.
Costa stretched to toe-poke Cesc Fabregas’ ball over the top, but Boruc saved.
The visitors had the chance to seal the win three minutes later, but Ritchie’s low effort sailed inches wide of the upright.
“The boys are gaining belief every week and I think it showed, ” Murray said after Bournemouth climbed a point outside the relegation zone.
After keeping clean sheets in their previous three games, the talk at Stamford Bridge had been turning to the prospect of climbing back up the table and fighting for one of the four Champions League spots.
5/12/15Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois and Branislav Ivanovic in action before Bournemouth’s Glenn Murray scores their first goalAction.
“It’s a knockout game”, Mourinho told Chelsea TV. But Costa was out of the starting XI for a second straight game.
On the magnitude of the win for a club who have flirted with extinction, Howe said: “I think it’s at the very top”. Only minutes later the same situation occurred and despite sliding in at the far post he still could not make any contact with the ball.
Mourinho claimed his side were denied a “clear” penalty, but vowed his team would emerge from their hard spell.
“We didn’t deserve to lose this game”.
“In second half we were much more aggression, especially from the right side”.
“The referee also made an important mistake but that’s part of the game…It is a clear penalty, clear handball”. This is more about players doing better than the club going to the market. “They were stopping the play, calling for the medical department and drinking water like it is basketball time out”.
In the first half we were soft and did not press and were not aggressive and were not intense. “Well, we have a good striker in Diego, a good striker in Rémy”, he said.
“I’m concerned, of course. You can imagine now after this defeat at home”. Chelsea are not playing with the same level that they played in the past seasons but the Blues have an enormous squad that is capable of beating any European rival. That’s not the problem. To get in the top four?
Howe, in contrast, was understandably delighted. I can just work and that is what I will do tomorrow to try and get us the result on Wednesday to get through to the next phase of the Champions League. In the second half we did that.
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“I think we are”. “There were question marks about our defending, but we have answered those questions today”. We are not being consistent because of some individuals.
