No Costa, no Kante, no problem for Chelsea as they extended their winning run to a club-record 12 successive games with Eden Hazard leading from the front.
Hazard responded to the rare opportunity for a run at centre forward with a delightful display of old-school dribbling and ball trickery, capped with a coolly converted penalty which was won by himself.
Pedro had opened the scoring midway through the first-half with a wonderful curling effort and scored his second in stoppage-time with a clinical counter-attack and a deflected finish.
Pedro leaps through the air and kicks a corner flag in celebration after opening the scoring for Chelsea against Bournemouth
The Spaniard gave Chelsea the lead midway through the first half with a superb chipped finish at Stamford Bridge
Pedro is mobbed by his Blues team-mates after breaking the deadlock against the Cherries on Boxing Day
Hazard won the spot-kick which handed him the chance to score after he was fouled by Simon Francis
The Belgian dusted himself down and stepped up to side-foot past Artur Boruc in the Bournemouth goal from 12 yards
Pedro wrapped up three points with his second goal of the game deep in second-half stoppage timeThere could easily have been more, with Bournemouth wide open once they went 2-0 down.
Eddie Howe’s team took risks to find a route back into the game but Thibaut Courtois produced a couple of fabulous saves to protect his 10th clean-sheet during the 12-game sequence of victories.
Chelsea sit proudly at the top of the Premier League after 18 games and, with Antonio Conte’s side in ominously good form, the pressure is firmly on their title rivals.
The only snag for Conte was a yellow card for Pedro, which means he will be banned from Saturday’s game against Stoke.
But with confidence soaring at Stamford Bridge and both Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante back after serving their one-match bans it will not trouble the Chelsea boss greatly.
Nemanja Matic keeps hold of possession as Lewis Cook and Dan Gosling try to take the ball away from him
Jack Wilshere cannot understand why he has been shown a yellow card by referee Mike Dean
David Luiz and Josh King see the funny side at the end of a tackle which left both players down on the turf
Bournemouth’s Charlie Daniels tries to pick a pass out of defence past the outstretched leg of Willian
Pedro picks his spot beyond Boruc to give the Blues the lead midway through the first half at Stamford Bridge
The former Barcelona player leaps in celebration in front of the home fans after finding the net for the Premier League leadersBournemouth started promisingly but could not stop the momentum.
With Nathan Ake not eligible to play against his parent club Chelsea, Eddie Howe shuffled his squad and settled on a system with three central defenders and a packed midfield, with Jack Wilshere in support of lone striker Josh King.
They resisted well and were patient in possession with flickers of threat but Chelsea dominated and Hazard excelled his central role, which was enough to justify Conte’s decision to overlook Michy Batshuayi, still without a start in the Premier League.
Chelsea went ahead midway through the first-half. Hazard found Cesc Fabregas, who threaded a short pass to Pedro. The pass was crisp and accurate but Pedro still had lot to do as he accepted the ball, under pressure on the edge of the penalty area.
He shifted it onto his left-foot and clipped a curling shot into the top corner, beyond the despairing dive of Artur Boruc. It is four in nine Premier League games for Pedro, one of the comeback stars of Conte’s revolution.
Courtois made a fine low save from Wilshere, who saw another volley deflected wide when he looked well set in front of goal.
Chelsea eased further ahead, soon after the interval, when Hazard was tripped by Simon Francis and referee Mike Jones pointed to the spot.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois celebrates Pedro’s opening goal for the Blues on Boxing Day
Wilshere complains to referee Jones after being tripped on his way forward during the first half
Adam Smith fires a free-kick towards the Chelsea wall as Bournemouth look for a route back into the game
Antonio Conte delivers instructions to his players from the touchline at Stamford Bridge
David Luiz makes an unorthodox attempt at clearing the ball as Cesc Fabregas looks on
Hazard attempts a rabona shot during the first half of the Premier League encounter on Boxing Day
Francis goes to hold his head in his hands as he watches referee Jones point to the penalty spot in the 49th minute
Chelsea’s players mob Hazard after the Belgian got up after being fouled to score his side’s second goal of the afternoon
Benik Afobe goes for goal but his effort is smothered by Courtois as Chelsea kept yet another clean sheet
Courtois showed tremendous awareness, after being a spectator for much of the game, to turn the shot to safetyBournemouth had been aggrieved by decisions going against them in the first-half but this was a foul. When on the ball, Hazard tormented Francis with his quick feet and little explosions of pace. The Belgian picked himself up and sent Boruc the wrong way, claiming his ninth goal of the season.
Chelsea relaxed and started to play some of their most attractive football, with Hazard producing some mesmerising dribbles.
Boruc saved from Willian and both Victor Moses and Hazard fired wide when they might have hit the target.
Howe made a double change in an attempt to salvage something from the final half-hour. On came Junior Stanislas and Benik Afobe and it was former Arsenal striker Afobe who almost pulled on back, escaping David Luiz only to be thwarted by Courtois dashing from his line.
Pedro grabbed his second on the break in the closing seconds, and Conte sent off Batshuayi after the goal. He had been on the pitch for five seconds and did not touch the ball before the final whistle went.
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe (right) and assistant Jason Tindall watch on from the sidelines at Stamford Bridge
