No Caicedo? No Problem. Chelsea Beat Burnley At Turf Moor 2-0 In Premier League Tie
- maxwatkins072
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Chelsea took all three points at Turf Moor in their Premier League clash against Burnley despite an underwhelming performance.
The visitors lined up without main man Moises Caicedo, giving Andrey Santos his third Premier League start this season. The Brazilian impressed, winning Man of the Match and more impressively, keeping Caicedo on the bench for the full 90. His performance was a tribute to the Ecuadorian, as he constantly intercepted passes into Chelsea’s half and always positioned himself in the right place at the right time. It will be a relief to Enzo Maresca that he can rely on Santos to fill in when Caicedo needs a rest.
Burnley started the game on the front foot, applying pressure on Maresca’s side. The Clarets failed to convert their pressure into chances, struggling to test Robert Sanchez.
Against the run of play, Chelsea broke the deadlock in the 37th minute. The first of two well-worked goals, Jamie Gittens picked up the ball on the edge of the box and played in an inch-perfect cross into the danger zone. Pedro Neto timed his run perfectly to get on the end of the cross, as he headed the ball past Martin Dubravka to take the lead.
The goal had stagnated Scott Parker’s side, as Chelsea dominated the flow of the match at the end of the first half and the start of the second. The visitors grew into a state of comfort after Burnley reacted poorly to the opener.
After 70 minutes had passed with the game still at 1-0, Parker made four changes in the space of five minutes in an attempt to swing momentum back in the home side’s favour. Maresca himself brought off Liam Delap for Malo Gusto to help see out the match. These subs, however, saw Burnley creep back into the game, causing anxiety for the away fans that they might let this lead slip.
Burnley again failed to convert their momentum into substantial chances, which Chelsea eventually punished them for, as they did in the first half. A moment of uncertainty between Gusto and Sanchez allowed the Blues to charge a late attack. Neto played the ball into space in the opposition half for substitute Marc Guiu to pick up. The Spaniard bullied his way past Axel Tuanzebe and set up a chance for Enzo Fernandez to bury from six yards in the 88th minute.
As the full-time whistle blew, there was a palpable sense of relief in the Chelsea camp, as it was crucial to start this tough week of fixtures with a win.
Santos rightly won Player of the Match; however, Neto was a strong second choice for the accolade, thanks to his goal and overall contribution to the game. Out of the starting attackers, Neto felt the most likely to threaten Burnley’s defence and his off-the-ball work relieved pressure off Chelsea’s defenders.
Far from a perfect performance, with key players out of the starting line-up and the first game after an international break, Chelsea fans can be happy with securing the three points.
The Blues will finish this Game Week in second place in the league table with a match against the league leaders, Arsenal, at Stamford Bridge next weekend. Any talk of a title challenge may be premature, that said, Chelsea’s form is promising, and it is clear that the building blocks for this team’s potential are finally coming together.