Chelsea Stumble As Garnacho And Delap Flop In 2-2 Bournemouth Draw

Chelsea waved goodbye to 2025 with more dropped points and a chorus of groans at the Bridge, held 2-2 by a Bournemouth side who hadn’t tasted a league win in two months. It was all a bit too familiar: bright moments, soft concessions, and two summer signings firmly under the microscope.

Enough’s enough — Enzo Maresca must park sentiment and sit Alejandro Garnacho and Liam Delap down for a spell. If Chelsea are serious about chasing momentum into the new year, the pair can’t keep getting minutes on reputation alone. For form lines and odds talk, you’ll find plenty across the best betting sites, but the eye test at Stamford Bridge told its own story.

How the contest swung

Despite their wretched run, Bournemouth started like a side freed of fear. David Brooks reacted quickest in the box to stab the visitors ahead, and Chelsea’s lethargy was laid bare. The hosts levelled when Cole Palmer tucked away a penalty after Estevao Willian was chopped by Antoine Semenyo — cool as you like from the spot.

Enzo Fernandez then lifted the mood with a lovely, angled finish to make it 2-1, only for the lead to evaporate within four minutes as Justin Kluivert pounced from a long throw. From there, the pattern was set: Chelsea huffed and puffed without much craft. Maresca made two changes at the break to seize control, Estevao nearly produced a gem just before the hour only for Marcos Senesi to deflect his cut-back wide, and the Blues ultimately got away with one when Enes Unal scooped a late Bournemouth chance over from close range.

Garnacho: focus missing, lessons not learned

After a rough night in the loss to Aston Villa, Garnacho was given another go — on the opposite flank to livewire Estevao. It didn’t click. Beyond laying the ball back in the build-up to Fernandez’s strike, his touch and decision-making were miles off. Worse, he switched off at key moments, losing his runner in the moves that led to both Bournemouth goals. The numbers were grim too: frequent turnovers and failed dribbles summed up a display short on conviction.

Maresca saw the same and hooked him at half-time, sending on Pedro Neto. It felt overdue. Neto brought a bit more balance and work-rate, the very basics Garnacho must rediscover before he’s trusted again.

Delap: a No 9 without bite

Chelsea believed they were getting a classic centre-forward who could rough up centre-halves, link play and be a menace in the box. Against Bournemouth he was a shadow of that brief. Delap drifted through long stretches and squandered his big moment — a free header in acres that he steered over. When your hold-up play is lukewarm and your finishing’s off, you don’t give your side a platform.

The verdict: time to reshuffle

Between them, Garnacho and Delap have scarcely moved the dial in the league, with Garnacho’s contributions the only ones on the board. With December largely a slog for Chelsea, Maresca needs spark and structure, not sentiment. The obvious play is to start Neto, keep Estevao buzzing on the other flank, and let Palmer anchor the attack while a more reliable option rotates at nine — Nicolas Jackson’s energy, for instance, offers far more reference point than Delap’s current output.

Rotation isn’t punishment; it’s accountability. Let them feel the heat, earn their way back with cameos, and protect the team in the meantime.

The fan temperature

Supporters didn’t hold back. Social feeds were awash with fury at Garnacho’s lapses and scathing assessments of Delap’s threat level. Words like “horrendous” were thrown around, and plenty demanded both be benched immediately. You can argue with the tone, but not the thrust: standards haven’t been met.

Bottom line

There were silver linings — Estevao’s spark, Fernandez’s finish, Palmer’s poise — but Chelsea can’t keep gifting opponents lifelines. Maresca’s next team sheet should send a message. Park the passengers, reward the runners, and start the new year with a bit of steel.