Chelsea captain Reece James picked the perfect occasion to score his first goal in over 800 days after his dramatic late strike secured a point for Chelsea on Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge.
The match against AFC Bournemouth ended 2-2 after a thrilling encounter, with James stepping up in the fifth minute of injury time to curl in a superb free-kick, leveling the scoreline after Bournemouth had taken the lead in the second half.
Chelsea started the game brightly, dominating possession and creating numerous chances. It was Cole Palmer who opened the scoring in the 13th minute, finishing coolly after a brilliant assist from Nicolas Jackson.
Despite several opportunities to extend their lead, including a near miss from Jackson, Chelsea went into the break just 1-0 up.
Bournemouth came out strong in the second half, and after a foul by Moisés Caicedo in the box, Justin Kluivert converted a penalty to equalize for the visitors.
The momentum shifted as Bournemouth took the lead in the 68th minute, with Antoine Semenyo firing a stunning shot into the top corner.
Chelsea pushed hard for a second goal, but with time running out, it looked as though they would leave empty-handed.
However, in the dying seconds of the match, Joao Félix earned a free-kick just outside the box, setting the stage for James’ heroics.
The captain stepped up and expertly curled the ball beyond goalkeeper Mark Travers, hitting the post and finding the back of the net to seal the draw.
The match saw 10 changes from Chelsea’s previous lineup, with Romeo Lavia the only player to retain his place. Despite Bournemouth’s spirited second-half comeback, Chelsea’s dominance in the first half and James’ last-minute equalizer meant the points were shared.
The draw keeps Chelsea in fourth place, two points clear of fifth-place Newcastle United and three behind Arsenal in third, with both sides having a game in hand.
Next up for Chelsea is another home Premier League clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday, where they will look to bounce back and continue their push for the top spots.
The Teams:
Chelsea: Sanchez; Caicedo (Joao Felix 81), Acheampong (Tosin 71), Colwill, Cucurella; Lavia (James 56), Fernandez (c); Madueke (Neto 81), Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
Subs not used: Jorgensen, Gusto, Veiga, Nkunku, Guiu
Bookings: Jackson 32, Lavia 51
Scorers: Palmer 13, James 90+5
AFC Bournemouth: Travers; Hill (Kluivert 23), Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Cook, Adams; Brooks (Jebbison 83), Christie, Semenyo; Dango
Subs not used: Dennis, Adu-Adjei, Sadi, Akinmboni, Winterburn, Kinsey, Rees-Dottin
Bookings: Brooks 45, Christie 45+2, Huijsen 87
Scorers: Kluivert 50 (p), Semenyo 68
Referee: Robert Jones
Attendance: 39,092
