Howe beats Conte in tactical showdown at the Bridge

Antonio Conte will have thousands of excuses to defend his side after a dismal performance that allowed Bournemouth not only to score three goals, but also to keep a clean sheet and walk out of Stamford Bridge with all three points.

Certainly not a good omen ahead of Chelsea's Champions League encounter with Barcelona, it was not just their goalscoring that was a problem. Conte will be hugely vexed with their troubles to create chances and the woeful defending which was on display on Wednesday night.

After a busy transfer deadline day, new signings Emerson Palmieri and Olivier Giroud were in attendance at Stamford Bridge. The pair were not available to play but Antonio Conte could have benefitted from their contributions, especially after Andreas Christensen limped off with a hamstring problem. Alvaro Morata's absence saw Eden Hazard take up a 'false-nine' role with the Belgian at the heart of every attacking move from the hosts.

A brave start from Bournemouth saw them shade the attacking chances early on, but Chelsea maintained their shape and eventually began to see more of the ball. Conte's men struggled to play their way forward from the back, with the midfield trio of Kante, Bakayoko and Barkley lacking the imagination and movement to link up with Hazard or Pedro in a more advanced role.

With the middle of the park overly congested, the main threat from the Blues came from out wide, Zappacosta and Marcos Alonso gunning forward when given the chance. It was from a set piece that Chelsea almost broke the deadlock, with Gary Cahill heading a corner inches over the bar midway through the first half.

A flurry of efforts from the hosts ensued, with a Zappacosta cross from the other flank meeting Alonso in the six-yard box and the Spaniard could not direct his header on target as the ball trickled past the back post. A fantastic player like Hazard can do great things when aided by his team. But he looked stranded, isolated up front. The forward tried to take matters into his own hands and dribble his way forward, but Bournemouth soon managed to contain the little Belgian.

- Unstoppable Cherries -

After the break, it all fell apart for Chelsea. A poor giveaway from Bakayoko saw Wilson play a delightful give and go with Ibe before sliding the ball under Courtois to take a much-merited lead, which they doubled moments later. With Chelsea looking shell-shocked after the opener, their back line was once again picked apart. This time, Wilson linked up with Stanislas and the latter poked the ball through the legs of the goalkeeper.

The Blues were unable to pick themselves up and a quick third for Bournemouth effectively ended any chances Conte's side held of coming back into the clash. Stanislas lashed at the ball from the top of the area and Ake poked home at the back post before wheeling off to celebrate scoring against his former club.

Chelsea never gave up hope and they saw most of the ball in the closing stages, but their inability to surprise Eddie Howe's airtight defence brought to the fore the deep-rooted predicaments Conte is faced with. Stamford Bridge was just about deserted by the game went into stoppage time.

Bournemouth took west London by storm, picking up a vital and thoroughly deserved win to take their unbeaten run to six Premier League games, while Chelsea fall further behind runners-up Manchester United, with City out of sight.