Delap looked to dislocate his shoulder while pulling down Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi during a corner. After several tough physical battles with Senesi, the England Under-21 striker had to come off and was replaced by teenager Marc Guiu. Senesi later left the match too after overstretching for a ball in the second half.
Both teams struggled to create chances going forward, even with Cole Palmer returning to Chelsea’s starting XI. Palmer, who has been out with a groin problem and then a fractured toe from an accident at home, lasted 58 minutes in his first start since 20 September.
Bournemouth thought they had scored inside five minutes when Antoine Semenyo reacted fastest to a blocked shot and finished from close range. But VAR ruled the goal out because Evanilson was slightly offside in the build-up.
The home side looked stronger in the first half, with Semenyo forcing a save from long range and nearly setting up Evanilson for a tap-in.
Chelsea also had chances, including efforts from Marcus Tavernier, Alex Jimenez, and a header over the bar from Marc Cucurella. Delap had a shot blocked shortly before his injury.
Chelsea improved after half-time, with Alejandro Garnacho heading against the post. Most of their shots, though, came from long distance—Palmer, Neto, Guiu, and Enzo Fernández all tried their luck from outside the box.
Both managers made attacking substitutions: Bournemouth brought on David Brooks, Amine Adli, and striker Enes Unal, while Chelsea introduced Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian.
Bournemouth defended well and rarely looked in trouble, although Semenyo forced a good save from Robert Sánchez with a late run and shot. Losing Senesi also broke some of their rhythm.
Despite going six games without a win, Bournemouth will be pleased with the point. Chelsea, meanwhile, are now winless in three matches, hurting any early whispers of a title challenge.
