Audio By Carbonatix
Bournemouth and Chelsea continued their lacklustre starts to the campaign with the first goalless draw of the Premier League season.
The Cherries are yet to win in the league under Andoni Iraola, while Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea have one win to show from their five league games.
Chelsea had the better chances with Nicolas Jackson and Raheem Sterling hitting the woodwork and Levi Colwill having a goal disallowed for offside.
New Blues signing Cole Palmer had a chance to win the game late on but shot straight at Neto.
Bournemouth had opportunities to win too with Dominic Solanke forcing a Robert Sanchez save and heading wide.
Chelsea still not clicking
The final ball was lacking and strikers misfired in a game where both sides were short of confidence and defences were on top.
Chelsea, for all their expensive, expansive recruitment, had six substitutes with no Premier League experience and academy product Conor Gallagher wearing the captain's armband.
The Blues' £100m midfielder Moises Caicedo missed out with a knee injury from his international duty with Ecuador.
Their first major chance came when Mykhailo Mudryk, making his first Premier League start under Pochettino, found Jackson, who struck the base of the post from the edge of the area.
Raheem Sterling was not quite as electric as in previous weeks with none of his four shots testing the goalkeeper.
Captain Gallagher should have done better when he wriggled free from 10 yards out but his shot was too central and Neto got down low to save.
Probably their best moment of the game saw Sterling's free-kick hit the angle of post and bar and bounce on the line without fully crossing it. The ball reached Colwill, who fired home - but the Blues defender was offside when the free-kick came in so had his effort ruled out.
Jackson almost won it late on but did not get enough direction on to his header from substitute Ben Chilwell's cross and Neto saved.
If the Blues can improve their finishing, results will pick up - but for now they sit 14th.
"I cannot lie, I think we are missing something in the last third - more calm, more relaxed, to be more clinical in front of goal," said Blues boss Pochettino.
"That is about giving confidence and trust in your offensive players. I think we were creating chances, fighting, I think it's about the process."
Bournemouth still waiting for new-manager bounce
Gary O'Neil helped keep Bournemouth up last season but was replaced this summer by highly-regarded Iraola as the Cherries set their sights higher than just survival.
But Iraola becomes only the second Spanish manager to remain winless in his first five Premier League games, after Pepe Mel at West Brom in 2014.
This is Bournemouth's first time not winning any of their first five league games since 2008-09 when they were in League Two.
Like Chelsea, with better finishing they could have won this one.
Dango Ouattara was denied by Robert Sanchez from close range with the keeper also keeping out the follow-up of Marcus Tavernier, starting for the first time this season following injury.
Tavernier cut in from the right and smashed a shot over and Lewis Cook had a snap-shot saved by Sanchez.
Solanke's four chances all came in the final 11 minutes, including a shot saved after nutmegging a defender in the box.
"I'm really happy with the performance," said Iraola. "The game was quite level.
"Today was our best game I would say, overall. We still didn't score but we were close to beating a very, very good team like Chelsea."
Latest Stories
-
Full text: Deputy Finance Minister delivers A-G’s report on 2024 arrears and payables
10 minutes -
Audit uncovers GH¢159m ‘ghost’ teacher trainee arrears
21 minutes -
Societe Generale Ghana records resilient performance amid macroeconomic resetting
37 minutes -
NaCCA applauds GPA at 50, stresses importance of books in education and national identity
37 minutes -
Grain scandal: Finance Ministry alarmed by GH¢61.7m ‘ghost transport’ payout in 2024
38 minutes -
ACPSEA launched to strengthen Africa’s peace and security architecture
40 minutes -
Tema port dredging to reduce delays for cement manufacturers – Deputy Trade Minister
42 minutes -
Mother allegedly assaults 12-year-old daughter over plantain sale in Abrabra
45 minutes -
Proposed mining royalty regime could cost Ghana nearly one million jobs – Patrick Boamah
46 minutes -
Gov’t blocks GH¢4.4bn in fraudulent recycled contract claims – Deputy Finance Minister
48 minutes -
Transport, Fisheries Ministries vow to operationlise James Town Harbour after years of neglect
51 minutes -
Auditor-General’s Report: Deputy Finance Minister flags missing rice, GH¢771m maize delivery shortfall
51 minutes -
Auditor-General uncovers GH¢9.4m payment backed by forged documents – Deputy Finance Minister
56 minutes -
Audit exposes massive ‘dry spell’ supply scandal; 10,000 tonnes of rice missing
59 minutes -
35 contractors paid $7.9m under Agenda 111 failed to start work – Audit
1 hour
