Sticking to the plan - Bournemouth's strategy to cope with injuries

Andoni Iraola and his Bournemouth players were unfortunate that Reece James' 95th minute free kick, which they believed should have been ruled out, cost them another moment in the spotlight.

But the Cherries were outstanding at Stamford Bridge, especially considering they were without 13 senior players and battling to keep a nine-game unbeaten run alive in difficult circumstances.

This is Bournemouth's longest such run in the Premier League era but there remains concern about what lies ahead. They have only 12 fit players available and face matches with Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool.

"It is a big worry," Iraola said when asked by BBC Sport. "In the last month, it has been a very difficult circumstance in terms of numbers. Evanilson and Enes Unal (both strikers) are both specific players injured in the same position and here we had 12 outfield players out from the first team and then lost James Hill [to injury].

"We can ask for help from the young players but most of them are not ready to play a game like [against Chelsea]. Some started the cup game but it is too much to ask them to play a lot of Premier League minutes. I am proud of the ones who are available but I worry that the ones who are healthy and surviving as they are playing more minutes than they would in a normal situation.

"The injury that happened to James Hill is because we asked him to play every 90 minutes and it could happen to others but we have to survive at least one or two games before players comeback."

Some clubs may look to the transfer market to make short-term signings to plug gaps in the circumstances facing Bournemouth.

However, the leadership feel that being fifth in the Premier League means the pressure is off and there is concern any reactive loan signings would just end up benched when key players return.

The south coast club feel sticking to the long-term plan which has served them well this season is the most productive option – even if the club is short on talent in the interim period.