At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea faced Burnley in a match that ended in a 2-2 draw, sparking dissatisfaction among the home crowd as Chelsea dropped crucial points against a supposedly less threatening Burnley side, who played with only 10 players for the second half.
Despite their coach’s belief that they should be fourth in the Premier League, Chelsea twice took the lead but failed to secure the win.
Burnley even had chances to snatch victory, with a header from Jay Rodriguez hitting the Chelsea crossbar.
The match highlighted concerns about Chelsea’s ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities, a recurring issue for the team.
There was a clear need for improvement in both scoring and defensive capabilities as Chelsea struggled to contain an opposition they underestimated.
The game started favorably for Burnley, who gained confidence in their abilities as Chelsea failed to pose a significant attacking threat.
However, as Chelsea adopted a more counter-attacking approach, they began to assert themselves, with Enzo’s deflected shot prompting a save from Arijanet Muric.
Despite increasing pressure from Chelsea, including missed chances from Cole Palmer and a crucial save by Djordje Petrovic from Wilson Odobert, they struggled to convert their opportunities.
Nicolas Jackson came close, but Muric deflected his shot over the crossbar.
Chelsea finally appeared to break the deadlock when Axel Disasi headed home from close range, but VAR intervened to disallow the goal due to a possible handball.
The match took a dramatic turn when Chelsea were awarded a penalty for a shoulder charge on Mykhailo Mudryk, resulting in Vitinho receiving a second yellow card and subsequent red card.
Despite protests from Burnley manager Vincent Kompany, VAR upheld the decision, and Kompany himself was sent off for his protests.
After the match resumed, Palmer extended Chelsea’s lead with a Panenka just before halftime.
Chelsea made no changes at halftime, but Burnley responded strongly, scoring a terrific goal early in the second half through Josh Cullen.
To regain control, Pochettino substituted Noni for skipper Conor Gallagher, and Chelsea piled on the pressure, with Raheem Sterling joining the fray.
Muric continued to impress for Burnley, denying Palmer’s attempts on goal.
Palmer eventually equalized for Chelsea, but their defensive vulnerabilities were exposed once again as Dara O’Shea scored from a corner.
Sterling missed a golden opportunity to win the game for Chelsea, heading wide with only the keeper to beat.
Alfie Gilchrist replaced the injured Gusto for Burnley, but neither team could find a winning goal, much to the relief of Chelsea fans and players.
The lineups for both teams were as follows:
Chelsea:
– Petrovic, Disasi, Cucurella, Badiashile, Enzo, Mudryk, Jackson, Palmer, Gallagher, Caicedo, Gusto
Subs: Bettinelli, Silva, Sterling, Noni, Casadei, Deivid, Gilchrist, Tauriaiinen, Acheampong
Burnley:
– Muric, O’Shea, Berge, Foster, Assignon, Vitinho, Cullen, Amdouni, Esteve, Larsen, Odobert
Subs: Trafford, Taylor, Cork, Gudmundsson, Brownhill, Rodriguez, Manuel, Ekdal, Tresor
