Chelsea have been handed another injury boost ahead of their trip to West Ham United this Saturday, with another star returning to training after his recovery from a hamstring problem.
Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea as Maresca continues promising start
It’s been a promising start to the Premier League season for new manager Enzo Maresca, who has guided his side to two wins, one draw and a single defeat to English champions Man City so far this term.
A defeat to Pep Guardiola’s imperious title-winners aside, Chelsea have performed in brilliant fashion over their trio of other clashes, and were very unlucky not to come away from their 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace with all three points.
After sharing the spoils with their London rivals at Stamford Bridge over a fortnight ago, Maresca’s side got back to winning ways in their first game back after the international break – clinching a 1-0 victory away to Bournemouth on Saturday.
Chelsea dominated possession at the Vitality Stadium, but Andoni Iraola’s Cherries gave them a lot of trouble. The Blues were under the cosh for a good portion of the 90 minutes, with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez even saving a penalty. However, Chelsea battled hard for all three points, with Christopher Nkunku sealing all three points through his smash-and-grab winner just before added time.
While Axel Disasi and Pedro Neto were criticised for their Chelsea performances against Bournemouth, with the former playing out of position before he was hauled off just past the hour mark, summer signing Jadon Sancho enjoyed a lively debut and provided the assist for Nkunku’s late winner.
Neto & Sancho vs Bournemouth | ||
|---|---|---|
Stat | Neto | Sancho |
Minutes played | 45 | 45 |
Touches | 23 | 37 |
Accurate passes | 10/15 (67%) | 24/26 (92%) |
Key passes | 1 | 2 |
Dribbles completed | 0/1 | 2/4 |
Duels won | 0/3 | 2/4 |
Possession lost | 9x | 7x |
Stats via Sofascore. | ||
It was a crucial, hard-earned victory for Maresca’s men – who now prepare for a tough to trip to the London Stadium this weekend to face West Ham next.
Chelsea given West Ham injury boost as Romeo Lavia trains at Cobham
A quartet of players missed the game on Saturday, with Malo Gusto out alongside Reece James to leave Maresca’s desperately short of right-backs over the weekend.
Luckily for the Italian, it appears Gusto has returned to training in a real boost for Chelsea, and he isn’t the only one. Midfielder Romeo Lavia missed their trip to Bournemouth with a hamstring injury, but the Belgian is now also back in contention.
As per Standard Sport, Lavia returned to Cobham training as well on Monday, following his recovery from a hamstring problem. He could therefore be available to play West Ham alongside Gusto, but defender Reece James remains sidelined.
Having the 20-year-old back will be a welcome boost for Maresca, despite Moises Caicedo’s excellent performances lately, and supporters will be hoping that Lavia can eventually become the “shining star” he was at Southampton (Sam Tighe).
