It could not have felt like more of an end-of-season game if it tried. The sun was shining, there was fancy dress in the crowd and the chants were flying.
And Chelsea were determined to ensure they continued their recent run of form until the final moments of the season. Although not at the level of recent weeks,
the Blues performed well enough to get the job done on the final day of the campaign against Bournemouth.
Moises Caicedo got the ball rolling with a goal you will find so difficult to top. Neto, the Cherries goalkeeper, intercepted a through ball aimed for
Raheem Sterling and it eventually fell to Caicedo. The Ecuadorian was just inside Bournemouth’s half and he sent a precise shot into the back of the net.
His first goal for Chelsea and what a way and time to do it. Sterling himself got on the score sheet in the second-half with his 10th – and final – goal of the season in all competitions.
Enes Unal\’s deflected effort offered an immediate reply for the visitors, with it going down as a Benoit Badiashile own goal.
But Chelsea held on to cement sixth-place in the Premier League table and some form of European football next term.
Here are the main talking points from the match at Stamford Bridge. And as always with the final game of the campaign,
there were a few emotional farewells. There were numerous people employed by Chelsea working their final day, while the big story was the goodbye to Thiago Silva.
The 39-year-old couldn’t hold back his tears as he addressed the Stamford Bridge faithful with an emotional speech at full-time during the Blues’ 2-1 win over Bournemouth.
His wife, Belle Silva, was on the field with her husband and could also be seen trying to fight back tears. Silva ended with the words “I love you all”,
a sentiment echoed widely by the enthusiastic Chelsea crowd. When Silva ended his impressive four-year spell at the West London club, he found no
vacant seats apart from in the away area. Attention has also been focused on Mauricio Pochettino ahead of a busy and hugely pivotal few weeks for the Chelsea manager.
The Argentine’s position as coach will be reviewed at an end-of-season meeting, although it is unclear when that will take place.
On Friday night, Pochettino met with Todd Boeri, one of Chelsea’s co-owners. The 52-year-old said he had dinner with the American billionaire,
but did not elaborate on what was said during the conversation. It was an emotional day at Stamford Bridge when Silva said goodbye, but it’s no surprise
that the 39-year-old, by far the most experienced player in the squad, essentially handed over the reins to his younger colleagues. That’s probably true.
There was also a lot of attention on Conor Gallagher, who could be playing his final game for the club. The 24-year-old captained Chelsea more than anyone
else throughout the 2023/24 season, but his future at the club is far from certain as the summer transfer window approaches. Gallagher has just over 12
months left on his contract with Stamford Bridge and Football. London understands that at the time of writing, there had been no formal discussions
between the parties regarding the extension. Those in the stands at Stamford Bridge could not have made their stance any clearer.
“Doo doo doo, Conor Gallagher” was chanted very loudly when the midfielder went over to take a corner in front of the Matthew Harding Stand in the second half.
Gallagher expressed his appreciation of his adoring fans with a clap and a wave to those chanting his name. There would have been plenty of eyes on the England
international during the squad\’s lap of honour after full-time. Last season, Mason Mount was visibly emotional when he took to the pitch to bid farewell
to Chelsea supporters before his move to Manchester United. There was no rehearsal by Gallagher, at least not obviously. Can we read too much, we don’t know.
Gallagher himself can be a little in the dark of what will happen in the coming months. Pokettino wants to stay in the near future in the near future, but
Argentina has no significant impact on telling his decision, as he has constantly declared. He is not convinced of his future in the club.
A summer full of big decisions for Chelsea. After one of the most emotional goodbyes to date, we won’t see any more in the months to come.
