Chelsea narrowly claimed the three points at the Vitality Stadium after substitute Christopher Nkunku scored late on against a rather unlucky Bournemouth side.

The match set the record for the most yellow cards in a Premier League game as referee Anthony Taylor dished out fourteen yellow cards between the sides.

The Blues were given an early warning only a couple minutes into the match as Marcus Tavernier struck the bar with a thunderous effort from long range with his left foot.

The first half was a struggle for Chelsea with the Cherries playing with bravery and testing Robert Sanchez numerous times.

A major problem occurred for Chelsea nine minutes before half-time as Wesley Fofana played a soft back pass to Sanchez which was intercepted by the Brazilian Evanilson, who chipped the Blues' keeper and consequently was taken out by Sanchez and therefore rewarded with a penalty kick by Anthony Taylor.

Evanilson stepped up to the spot, with Cole Palmer sharing some words with the Brazilian prior to his penalty kick, which was then saved tremendously by Chelsea's goalkeeper Sanchez to keep the score 0-0.

The Cherries were the better side at half-time but the introduction of Jadon Sancho for Pedro Neto proved to be beneficial for Enzo Maresca's side as Chelsea managed to improve their game and were able to fashion out some more chances.

The second half saw Bournemouth penned back and focussing on counter-attacks, with Chelsea's left side causing trouble for the Cherries as Sancho and Marc Cucurella were able to combine well.

Scotsman Ryan Christie was close to giving Bournemouth the lead as he received the ball from Antoine Semenyo on the edge of the box and managed to strike a wonderful shot on goal which forced an unbelievable save from Sanchez onto the post.

The first and only goal came late on, just five minutes from full-time.

Sancho received the ball on the left side and played a precise pass into Nkunku's feet.

Although the Frenchman was surrounded by red and black shirts, he wriggled away and placed his shot into the bottom right corner and celebrated with his signature blue balloon beside the travelling supporters.

Chelsea stand seventh in the Premier League following their victory with Bournemouth in twelfth.

Here are how the Chelsea players rated:

Robert Sanchez - 8.5

Despite being under criticism in the past while playing for Chelsea, the Spaniard performed magnificently while keeping the Blues in the match making multiple vital saves, including a penalty save.

Axel Disasi - 3.5

A rather poor showing from Disasi who struggled when on the ball and in transition. However, he was deployed at right-back which is not his favoured position. He was substituted after 62 minutes for Tosin Adarabioyo, who performed well.

Wesley Fofana - 5

Had a slow start to the game but improved as the match went on. Played a poor back pass to Sanchez which resulted in a penalty.

Levi Colwill - 8

Excellent performance from Colwill both defensively and playing the ball forwards as he showed his tremendous passing range on numerous occasions, whilst also making some vital blocks and interceptions at the back.

Marc Cucurella - 8

The left-back showed defensive authority against in-form Semenyo who was kept quiet throughout the match and also contributed in attack occasionally.

Renato Veiga - 7

Solid showing on his first Premier League start and will only improve throughout the season. Very composed and provided good linkup play with Moises Caicedo.

Moises Caicedo - 8.5

From minute one until the full-time whistle Caicedo was instrumental in midfield as he won a vast majority of his duels and did not allow himself to get dribbled past once.

Noni Madueke - 6

Not his best performance as he struggled to take on his man, but had some brief glimpses of quality.

Cole Palmer - 6.5

Drew multiple fouls but struggled to perform to his usual level. However, this was by no means a 'bad' performance.

Pedro Neto - 5

A rather sub-standard performance from the Portuguese international who struggled against Adam Smith and was substituted for Jadon Sancho at half-time after losing possession 10 times.

Jadon Sancho - 9

Replaced Neto at half-time and made a remarkable impact on his debut, constantly taking on his man and was rewarded for his positive influence with an assist.

Tosin Adarabioyo - 7

Came on for Disasi with 30 minutes left and slotted comfortably into the Blues' defence providing composure and some nice passes out from the back.

Christopher Nkunku - 7.5

Nkunku's performance can only be described as clinical as he had one effort on goal and one goal to win the match for Chelsea late on.