Reece James was sprung from the bench to save Chelsea’s blushes but he could not conceal their fragility.
Captain James was kept on the sidelines for 56 minutes with midfielder Moises Caicedo instead used at right back.
But his late free kick earned Enzo Maresca’s side a barely deserved draw having thrown away an early lead during a stinking second half.
Cole Palmer had them ahead against visitors with only 11 senior outfield players available. Except Justin Kluivert levelled from the spot before Antoine Semenyo drilled home to put gritty Bournemouth in front.
And it looked like Andoni Iraola’s team would claim a sweet win until Ryan Christie brought Joao Felix down and James sent his effort around the wall, in off the post.
With England boss Thomas Tuchel watching from the stands of the stadium he once called home, James delivered a reminder of his talent with a first league goal since August 2022.
Yet that cannot hide the issues facing Chelsea. It is a month today since their last league win – when Maresca insisted they were “not ready” to be title challengers.
Those were considered mind games at the time but three points from 15 available since leaves them battling to secure a Champions League spot.
“I’m always concerned, always worried, even when we win,” Maresca said, pointing to another failure to kick on from a strong start.
“Those are the moments we need to show more personality, character. The game was under control until the penalty. My feeling is a little bit of shame.”
It had started so well as Palmer collected Nicolas Jackson’s through ball and dummied to sit down Mark Travers before rolling into the empty net.
Bournemouth looked every bit the patched-up side early on and the sight of James Hill limping off after 22 minutes, replaced by Kluivert, signalled a tough night was in store.
Mark Travers, deputising in goal because Kepa Arrizabalaga was not allowed to face his parent club, made two decent saves to keep it 1-0 at the break.
But, not for the first time of late, Chelsea did not turn up after the interval and Bournemouth’s equaliser came when Caicedo unnecessarily bundled over Semenyo. Kluivert converted his penalty high past Sanchez.
Soon after David Brooks appeared fortunate to avoid a red card after bringing Marc Cucurella to the ground as Chelsea counterattacked. Ref Robert Jones issued a yellow because he deemed it reckless rather than violent conduct.
“When there’s no intention to take the ball, it’s a red,” Maresca fumed. “There was no violence, no hard knock,” Iraola countered.
Either way, Chelsea trailed when Semenyo sized up Josh Acheampong before smashing in at Sanchez’s near post.
James, however, had the last laugh. “It’s a difficult one to take,” Iraola said. “The point is fair but the way we lost two isn’t fair.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter with the day’s key headlines and transfer news straight into your inbox
