Chelsea 2-2 Burnley: Player ratings as ten-man Clarets fight back for draw
Ten-man Burnley twice came from behind to earn a well-deserved point away at Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.
The Clarets fought tooth and nail against the vulnerable Blues at Stamford Bridge, refusing to lie down after they’d harshly been reduced to ten men at the end of the first half.
Despite Cole Palmer’s best efforts, Chelsea could only record a point despite their distinct advantage. A woeful defensive effort saw them relinquish what should’ve been a routine three points.
How the match unfolded
The sun beamed down in west London, but a rather flat Stamford Bridge welcomed the two sides as Burnley enjoyed a bright start to proceedings.
Buoyed by their victory over Brentford before the break, Vincent Kompany’s visitors produced a confident opening with Djordje Petrovic drawn into a couple of saves to deny Wilson Odobert and Josh Cullen.
Chelsea had their moments at the other end, but they struggled to sustain pressure against the Clarets. Nicolas Jackson ran the channels doggedly, and Palmer always provided a spark when he got on the ball. Axel Disasi thought he’d given the hosts a 1-0 lead when he converted Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross, but replays showed that the last touch came off the Frenchman’s hand.
The Clarets continued to hold their own despite that scare, but their efforts were undermined towards the end of the first half by the softest of penalty calls which saw Lorenz Assignon harshly receive his second booking of the afternoon. A rightfully furious Vincent Kompany joined his full-back in the dressing room as he saw red, and Palmer converted the spot kick with the cheekiest of attempts.
Despite Chelsea’s woes this season, many would’ve expected a second half procession, but Cullen’s superb strike from distance drew the ten-men level just two minutes after the restart. Stamford Bridge was in a persistent state of unrest thereafter as the hosts attempted to break down the resilient Clarets.
Having seen their side huff and puff for much of the second half without much reward, Chelsea supporters breathed a collective sigh of relief when Palmer scored his second having collected Raheem Sterling’s wonderful flick. Burnley, though, refused to surrender and they somehow found the net again soon after.
Dara O’Shea leapt highest from a outswinging corner to restore parity for a second time. The defender’s header burst through the hands of Petrovic, who will be disappointed not to have kept the ball out.
It could’ve got even better for the superb visitors, but Jay Rodriguez’s thumping header crashed off the bar before the striker made a mess of the rebound. Burnley were forced to dig in for the remaining couple of minutes, but after Sterling missed a glorious chance to win it, they looked comfortable defending their box.
GK: Djordje Petrovic – 5/10 – Had produced a fine performance, but he didn’t cover himself in glory for O’Shea’s goal.
RB: Malo Gusto – 5/10 – Started the game poorly, and despite the odd burst from full-back, Gusto didn’t offer too much against Burnley’s deep block.
CB: Axel Disasi – 4/10 – Should’ve been a routine outing for Disasi, but he never exuded calm at the heart of Chelsea’s defence. Also a hindrance when he drove into Burnley’s third with the ball.
CB: Benoit Badiashile – 4/10 – Impressed with the ball and produced some composed sequences. However, he was caught out at times positionally – losing Lyle Foster for a good chance at the start of the second half.
LB: Marc Cucurella – 4/10 – Always seems to provide a little bit of chaos down the left – not for the right reasons. A poor one-on-one defender who didn’t have an impact in possession in the second half.
CM: Moises Caicedo – 6/10 – There was a notable intervention in the first half, but Caicedo was otherwise quiet on Saturday afternoon.
CM: Conor Gallagher – 5/10 – Wasn’t the best hour of football Gallagher’s produced, that’s for sure. Ponderous in possession and often bypassed when Chelsea attempted to create.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – 5/10 – Saw plenty of the ball in the second half, but Fernandez’s bright moments were sparing.
RW: Cole Palmer – 8/10 – Not his most efficient display by any means, but Palmer tried his utmost to get Chelsea over the line.
ST: Nicolas Jackson – 6/10 – Ran the channels well (again) and got through a ton of work. Poor in the box.
LW: Mykhailo Mudryk – 7/10 – Enthusiasm can’t be denied and he offered a genuine threat for the duration. Drew the ‚foul‘ for the penalty and created a couple of promising openings in the second half. Still struggles for consistency in the final third.
Substitutes
SUB: Noni Madueke (62′ for Gallagher) – 5/10
SUB: Raheem Sterling (73′ for Caicedo) – 6/10
SUB: Alfie Gilchrist – (87′ for Gusto) – N/A
Subs not used: Marcus Bettinelli (GK), Thiago Silva, Cesare Casadei, Deivid Washington, Jimi Tauriainen, Josh Acheampong
Manager
Mauricio Pochettino – 4/10 – Chelsea were flat for the most part, struggling to sustain pressure before Burnley were reduced to ten. There’s nothing about the Blues at the moment which depicts sustainability.
GK: Arijanet Muric – 9/10 – Sat down by Palmer from 12 yards, but you couldn’t fault Muric in the second half. Heroic display from the Burnley shot-stopper.
RB: Lorenz Assignon – 5/10 – A spritely performance and offered a threat going forward. Harshly dismissed just before half-time.
CB: Dara O’Shea – 8/10 – Didn’t have much against Jackson one-v-one, but defended the Burnley box well for the most part. Lovely header to produce the visitors‘ second equaliser.
CB: Maxime Esteve – 7/10 – Fared better against Jackson and looked comfortable when forced to defend wide areas. A commendable display.
LB: Vitinho – 6/10 – Drifted over to the right after Charlie Taylor’s introduction and had a tough time dealing with Mudryk’s pace. Did produce a couple of stellar last-ditch challenges, though.
RM: Jacob Bruun Larsen – 6/10 – Active in the first half, and his positioning did give the Chelsea backline a few issues. Couldn’t piece it together in the final third and was withdrawn at the break.
CM: Josh Cullen – 8/10 – That was some strike to draw Burnley level, stunning the Bridge. Produced several moments of real quality in possession despite the tricky circumstances.
CM: Sander Berge – 8/10 – The imposing midfielder held his own and some in the middle of the park. A powerful performance from Berge.
LM: Wilson Odobert – 6/10 – A bright spark when the contest was 11v11, with Odobert’s half-space runs creating a couple of decent chances for the visitors.
ST: Zeki Amdouni – 4/10 – Unfortunately didn’t have much of an influence and was sacrificed for defensive balance after Assignon’s dismissal.
ST: Lyle Foster – 6/10 – Dropped in and worked between the lines pretty effectively in the first half. Had a great chance after Cullen equalised which he simply had to score given the circumstances.
Substitutes
SUB: Charlie Taylor (45′ for Amdouni) – 8/10
SUB: Josh Brownhill (46′ for Bruun Larsen) – 6/10
SUB: Jay Rodriguez (69′ for Foster) – 6/10
SUB: Johann Gudmundsson (69′ for Odobert) – 5/10
Subs not used: James Trafford (GK), Jack Cork, Manuel Benson, Hjalmar Ekdal, Mike Tresor
Manager
Vincent Kompany – 7/10 – Many will understand his anger for which he was sent off. He wasn’t on the touchline for the second half as his side produced a gritty display full of character.