Bournemouth Striker Suggests Targeting Chelsea Captain Gary Cahill Was Key to Shock 3-0 Thrashing

Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson has suggested that his side's targeting of Chelsea captain Gary Cahill paid real dividends for the Cherries, as the Blues' defensive errors allowed the visitors to pull off a shock 3-0 victory.

Speaking after the impressive result, via the Metro, Wilson claimed that his manager Eddie Howe had prepped his players to focus on a weak link in Chelsea's back-three - which appears to be Gary Cahill - and that this approach was pivotal to their impressive achievement. Wilson said:

"We’ve been working hard on this formation and today we’ve put everything right and come up with a fantastic performance tonight.

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"We knew Chelsea had weaknesses with their back line so we targeted one side. Everybody to a man put in a good shift tonight. We’re unbeaten in six and want to carry that on."

Cahill appears to be the weakness alluded to by Wilson's comments, as the former Bolton Wanderers man was consistently found to be out of position as Bournemouth's incisive, counter-attacking approach ripped gaping holes through Antonio Conte's defence. The defeat heaps further pressure on the Italian manager, who is believed to be increasingly unhappy at Stamford Bridge.

To add insult to injury, former Chelsea youngster Nathan Aké scored for Bournemouth - offering a timely reminder to Blues fans of the negative aspects of the board's continued policy of loaning young players out for a number of years before eventually selling them before giving them a real chance in the first team.

In other news, reports from Spain have claimed that Blues talisman Eden Hazard could be set to leave the club in the summer - with La Liga giants Real Madrid prepared to offer Chelsea a deal involving Marco Asensio as an incentive. Hazard is yet to sign a new deal and commit his future to the club, as Europe's elite clubs wait in the wings to pounce on the tenacious Belgian.