Christopher Nkunku proved Chelsea’s hero as his late strike secured a narrow 1-0 win over AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League.

The forward came off the bench to strike the winner five minutes from time at the Vitality Stadium, where Robert Sanchez kept out Evanilson’s first-half penalty.

Bournemouth looked the more likely to take all three points in the contest, and Chelsea had Sanchez to thank for his penalty heroics, albeit after he had conceded the spot-kick for a foul on Evanilson.

Marcus Tavernier and Ryan Christie also struck the woodwork for the hosts, but the Blues landed the decisive blow in the closing stages to snatch the victory.

Nkunku’s late intervention moves Enzo Maresca’s side up to seventh place on seven points, two more than Bournemouth, who are in 11th.

How the match unfolded

Bournemouth carried the greater attacking threat early on and went close to breaking the deadlock after just four minutes when Tavernier’s thunderous long-range strike rattled the crossbar.

Antoine Semenyo then dragged wide from distance, while Sanchez kept out Justin Kluivert’s volley.

Bournemouth were handed a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 37th minute from the penalty spot when Sanchez tripped Evanilson, but the Chelsea goalkeeper redeemed himself by guessing correctly to deny the Brazilian.

The Cherries went close again after the break with Sanchez keeping out Kluivert following a jinking run, before Evanilson’s header was ruled out for offside.

After Nicolas Jackson shot just over at the other end, the woodwork came to Chelsea’s rescue once more with Christie’s low strike ricocheting off the outside of the right post.

But the visitors eventually grabbed the decisive breakthrough five minutes from time. After receiving the ball from Jadon Sancho, Nkunku neatly skipped away from a couple of challenges before slotting home the winner.

Maresca’s substitutions pay off

Chelsea struggled to generate a decent attacking threat for most of the contest, with Sanchez proving the difference with a string of smart saves, though they also had the woodwork to thank for preserving their first clean sheet in 18 Premier League away games.

Maresca’s introduction of new signing Sancho for his debut at half-time, and the Manchester United loanee played a key role in the game’s decisive moment by picking out the Frenchman, who did the rest in sublime fashion.

Following their emphatic 6-2 win away at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea have now secured a fourth successive away win, achieving the feat for the first time in two years.

They have responded well to their 2-0 opening weekend defeat to reigning champions Manchester City, with Maresca’s philosophy starting to show during their three-match unbeaten run.

Chelsea were also part of creating a small slice of history on Saturday, as 14 yellow cards were shown in a fiery encounter – the most in a single Premier League match, and previously beating the record of 12 which were shown in Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur in May 2016 and Wolves v Newcastle United in August 2010.

Bournemouth taste first defeat

It looked a real possibility that Bournemouth would be able to remain unbeaten in their opening four matches of a top-flight season for the first time, only to be stunted by their lack of clinical edge in the final third.

Fresh from their miraculous late turnaround against Everton before the international break, the Cherries looked to be building on that momentum, and they will count themselves unlucky not to have broken the deadlock when in the ascendancy.

Indeed, they found Sanchez in fine form, with the Chelsea goalkeeper guessing correctly to thwart Evanilson from the spot, while Tavernier and Christie were only inches away from hitting the net when their impressive attempts rattled the woodwork.

And Iraola’s side were made to regret not capitalising on those opportunities with Nkunku’s piece of individual brilliance condemning them to a first league defeat of the campaign.

But the Cherries head coach will surely take confidence from their performance once again, though they face another tough test at Liverpool next weekend.

Club reports

Bournemouth report | Chelsea report

Match officials

Referee: Anthony Taylor. Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn. Fourth official: Sam Allison. VAR: Peter Bankes. Assistant VAR: Scott Ledger.