Finally, Frank Lampard experienced a change in the wind. With a win on the south coast, Chelsea’s interim manager ended an appalling run of six straight losses since his return.
Noni Madueke put on a strong performance that augured well for his future at the club and prevented Chelsea’s usual goal-scoring ineptitude from showing up for once.
The winger’s deception embodied the risks they took and prevented them from matching a club record of seven straight losses as a result.
Chelsea fared well against a Bournemouth team in gloomy conditions at the Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth has put distance between themselves and the relegation zone in recent weeks thanks to their energetic performances.
The only attacking player to keep his spot after the embarrassing 3-1 loss to Arsenal four days prior was Madueke, a 21-year-old Barnet native who was acquired from PSV in January. In that game, he scored his first goal for the team.
Although the England U21 international failed to score or provide an assist on the south coast, Bournemouth’s defenders were unable to stop him thanks to his darting runs to the byline and into the box.
Between July 2019 and January 2021, during Lampard’s tenure as Chelsea’s permanent manager, he invested heavily in the team’s young English players, giving youngsters like Fikayo Tomori, Tammy Abraham, and Mason Mount numerous opportunities.
In this situation, Lampard will have felt justified in sticking with Madueke—a decision he will rarely feel justified in making during his so far disastrous second stint as Chelsea manager.
Chelsea was finally able to taste victory for the first time in ten games thanks to Conor Gallagher’s early header and goals from Benoit Badiashile and substitute Joao Felix in the closing stages.
Kepa Arrizabalaga was unable to save Matias Vina’s sensational first-half equalize for Bournemouth. In the end, Chelsea had something to show their devoted traveling fans, thanks to their tenacity, Madueke’s inventiveness, and – at last – Lampard’s sound judgment.
After remaining at 39 points for a little over two months, they eventually pass the 40-point threshold.
If it portends a change in the club’s ownership under Todd Boehly rather than Lampard as caretaker, that is the question. On this unusually happy afternoon, they must construct.