One penalty, 25 fouls, countless blasts of the referee’s whistle and 14 yellow cards… behold the worst-behaved game in Premier League history.
Chelsea players received eight bookings and Bournemouth six at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, setting a record for cautions, under the stewardship of match official Anthony Taylor.
The previous highest number of yellow cards in a match was 12 when Chelsea played London rivals Tottenham in 2016, and the same number for Wolves against Newcastle in 2010.
Earlier today (Sunday), it briefly looked like yesterday’s record might last less than 24 hours, when seven yellows were shown in the first 45 minutes of Tottenham against Arsenal, equalling the Premier League record for a first half, but greater discipline was employed in the second half of that match.
So Bournemouth against Chelsea, which was won by the latter 1-0 courtesy of Christopher Nkunku’s 80th-minute goal, now wears the crown for being the worst-behaved Premier League match ever.
Here The Athletic examines every booking to see what was going on…
Booking 1, 18mins
Bournemouth midfielder Ryan Christie gets us up and running. The 29-year-old caught Cole Palmer on top of his right quad with his knee, just as the England international had received a pass and flicked it past him in one nimble motion.
Down on the turf, Palmer appeals for the foul, sees it given, then shows some more pain for good measure. Christie takes the booking with only mild complaints.
Booking 2, 31mins
The ball is lofted forward towards Bournemouth’s €47million (£40.3m; $51.7m) summer signing Evanilson, who jostles to win the header with Wesley Fofana. The Chelsea defender makes what appears to be minimal contact with his arm to the Brazilian’s cheek, but it’s enough to send him down clutching his face. Evanilson gets the free kick he hoped for and Fofana is in the book.
“The referee felt it was too aggressive, (but) I would disagree there,” says former Republic of Ireland international Andy Townsend, on co-commentary. “I don’t think what Fofana did was anything unusual. Yes, he got slapped across the face, but it wasn’t an elbow.”
Booking 3, 35mins
Again, Palmer’s quick feet are getting people in trouble. He receives another pass out on the right side and Lewis Cook steams in to close him down but catches him ever so slightly.
Both Bournemouth defensive midfielders are in the book now. Cook had been keeping Palmer close and this will make their job of thwarting him much more fraught.
All said and done, it’s a soft booking — and Cook leads the Premier League ranking for most fouls committed so far this season with 13.
Booking 4, 36mins
Minutes after he went down looking for a foul, Chelsea full-back Marc Cucurella dishes it out himself.
Evanilson challenges Levi Colwill near the touchline and Cucurella bounds over, turns his back and barges the striker, kicking his leg out. He then dares to seem surprised when Taylor blows his whistle and delivers the yellow.
Booking 5, 37mins
Fofana’s weak pass back to his goalkeeper Robert Sanchez — as Evanilson sprints in behind — makes life difficult for the Chelsea No 1. As the Bournemouth forward chips the ball over Sanchez, the goalkeeper clatters him. Contact was fairly minimal but a penalty is not unreasonable.
It’s a silver-lining for Sanchez, who saves the spot kick.
Booking 6, 38mins
Our first booking of the evening for dissent.
Some context is helpful here. The threshold for dissent — talking back, over-protesting or verbally slighting the ref — was reduced last season. The reveamped Premier League rules mean that when more than one player approaches the official, at least one of those players, and potentially more, will be shown an automatic yellow card. The league has stuck by that approach this season to crack down on dissent.
So Bournemouth’s Adam Smith is shown yellow, perhaps for demanding that Sanchez be sent off.
Booking 7, 52mins
“He’s running out of room on that piece of paper,” says match-commentator Chris Wise as Taylor punishes more verbals, this time from Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson.
The Senegalese had been giving it the beseeching arms gesture to Taylor, who was in no mood to offer mercy.
Booking 8, 57mins
Colwill lunges into a challenge as Antoine Semenyo darts onto a knockdown, but the defender gets both ball and man. That’s three of Chelsea’s back four in the book.
Booking 9, 57mins
“There’s another yellow card there, brandished by Anthony Taylor,” says Townsend. “So many petty, unnecessary ones.”
And it does seem a touch petulant from the ref, shown to Jadon Sancho for arguing the toss over a free kick. Sancho does the praying-hands thing and grins as Taylor books him.
“He’s taking no prisoners for dissent, Anthony Taylor,” says the former Arsenal striker Alan Smith on Sky Sports.
Booking 10, 59mins
The most impressive bit of Justin Kluivert’s yellow here is the sheer bloody-minded determination. He sprints a good 20 yards to catch Noni Madueke as Chelsea counter-attack.
Danger is paused as a professional foul is well dispatched.
Then a remarkable 20 minutes pass by without a booking…
Booking 11, 80min
A proper old-fashioned yellow for Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi to get us back on a chaotic track. He flies right through the back of Fofana, who lets out a yelp of pain.
The Argentine tries to plead for clemency but has no chance.
Booking 12, 87min
A change of pace as Taylor treats us to a booking for neither foul nor dissent. This time, it’s youthful exuberance that lands Chelsea’s Renato Veiga in trouble.
The 21-year-old had broken the rules by hurdling the advertising hoarding and leaping into the crowd to celebrate Nkunku’s goal with supporters.
Booking 13, 90mins+1
Chelsea substitute Joao Felix is making an energetic cameo…
… as he decides to chase down Alex Scott before shoving his hand in the Bournemouth man’s face.
Booking 14, 90 min+6
One last punishment for dissent, then. Semenyo ensures we go out with a prolonged moan.
Some of his rant is even delivered to Taylor’s back, as the ref perhaps tries to give him the benefit of the doubt. Taylor allows 20 seconds of griping before turning around and offering his record-breaking final flourish.
“You are embarrassing,” sing the frustrated Bournemouth fans.
And that’s it. Fourteen players booked — and that’s not even including one for Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca earlier in the second half. Cue likely fines from the Football Association for both teams and a darkened room for Taylor to go and lie down in.
(Top photo: Robert Sanchez gets a booking; by Ryan Hiscott via Getty Images)
