Chelsea recorded their second win in their pre-season games on Tuesday night, as both Broja and Ugbo were on the score sheet, as the European Champions came from behind to beat Bournemouth 1-2.
Chelsea who were going into the Tuesday night game after a fantastic display a few days ago against Peterborough. where they won 6-1, struggled a little against Bournemouth as many chances were not converted, but somehow Broja and Ugbo who were substitutes, wasted no time to convert their chances.
Bournemouth went ahead first after Emiliano Marcondes put the host ahead with a header, before Chelsea responded quickly with goals from Broja and Ugbo to get a win.
The game was played in front of a healthy crowd inside Bournemouth’s stadium, including plenty of Chelsea fans in the visitors’ section.
It was Hakim Ziyech, starting the game in an attack centred on Tammy Abraham and also containing Christian Pulisic, who had the first shot for Chelsea – powerfully hit but curled wide of the far post.
There was a flurry of activity a quarter-of-an-hour in. Centre-back Malang Sarr, playing his first game in a Chelsea shirt in front of supporters, was the one to clear a free-kick with his head when Bournemouth had the chance to put the ball in the box and moments later, in open play, home-side striker Dominic Solanke was slipped through but was denied by a sliding block by another former Chelsea Academy graduate Lewis Baker, who has had a back-three role in this pre-season rather than the midfield position Blues fans are more familiar with seeing him in.
Kepa punched away the corner that followed and Chelsea were quickly on the attack, with Hudson-Odoi striking a shot at the Cherries keeper Mark Travers.
Twenty-five minutes into the game, Travers made a very good close-range reaction stop when Abraham met a Hudson-Odoi pass.
Chelsea, operating with wing-backs, were finding spaces to attack. Alonso picked out Ziyech for a blocked shot before Abraham, having moved well into the inside-right channel, was fed by Ziyech but had a firm, low shot saved. With the next attack, the big no.9 headed over when Ziyech overlapped a Hudson-Odoi run and centred.
The Blues had enjoyed the best of it, but the match was scoreless at half-time.
Thomas Tuchel made seven changes at the interval, including the whole of the rearguard, and soon after the start of the second half, Bournemouth should have taken the lead but after catching Conor Gallagher on the ball and racing towards the net now guarded by Edouard Mendy, David Brooks shot wide to the home supporters’ dismay.
Mendy then pulled off a great close-range block to keep out Kyle Edwards before 10 minutes after the restart, Alonso worried Bournemouth with a shot that was deflected wide and substitute Matt Miazga headed at the Cherries keeper.
Further Chelsea changes came, leaving Gallagher as the only Blues starter still on the field.
Bournemouth’s goal was scored soon after, a cross from the right by Jack Stacey taking a deflection and sitting up nicely for Marcondes to head in.
It took five minutes for Chelsea to equalise. Baba Rahman did well to win the ball back from Bournemouth deep in their half and the Ghanaian then curled a low cross into the path of Broja who, just like in the previous pre-season game, was in the right place to find the net from a few yards out.
There was even less time needed to go from levelling to being in the lead, Ike Ugbo heading in at the near post from a Ross Barkley corner. That made it 2-1 to the Blues and it was a lead retained relatively comfortable to the end. A positive night with pre-season games against Arsenal and Tottenham next up.