Chelsea halts free fall with win at Bournemouth in EPL

BOURNEMOUTH, England: Chelsea snapped a six-game losing streak by beating Bournemouth 3-1 in the English Premier League on Saturday to earn their first points since Frank Lampard returned as interim manager. After first-half goals were traded, defender Benoît Badiashile put visiting Chelsea ahead in the 82nd minute when he redirected Hakim Ziyech’s free kick past goalkeeper Neto.

João Félix sealed it from close range four minutes later at Vitality Stadium. Conor Gallagher opened the scoring in the ninth minute when he headed in N’Golo Kanté’s cross.

Matias Viña equalized 12 minutes later with a curler inside the far post after a buildup that sliced through Chelsea’s defense. Chelsea were in free fall after four straight league losses and two more in the Champions League quarterfinals — all on Lampard’s watch since the Chelsea great was brought in to see out the season following the firing of Graham Potter.

The London club picked up one spot in the standings — moving to 11th place. The season is a major disappointment for Chelsea but Saturday’s win at least prevents a total collapse toward relegation.