Chelsea extended their lead on top of the Premier League table to 10 points, but will be sad to not have claimed the full three points from today’s game. Great opening fifteen minutes messaged an easy Chelsea win to come, but things turned out to be much more difficult for the Blues after Pedro’s opening goal was shut down by Brady’s stunning free-kick strike.
Second half was slightly more one-sided for the visitors, but Burnley’s tight defence helped the hosts to a determined point collected from the match to retain their brilliant form at home.
Here are our ratings from today’s featured Chelsea players…
Starting Eleven:
Thibaut Courtois – 7 – Got surprisingly close to saving Brady’s shot from the free-kick. A side-spinning curler into the top draw with a heavy wet ball was too much for a keeper of any class though. Did superbly to deny Lowton’s one-on-one effort soon later though, and saved Gray’s breakthrough chance after Luiz’s miskick on the second period.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 8 – Played a solid game at the back again. Good try from long-range on the second half but was unlucky to miss – finished the game with most shots (2) from all Chelsea team. Some nice passes forward too.
David Luiz – 7 – Despite a poor mis-kick which almost led to a Burnley goal, the pony-tailed Brazilian was very solid at the back. Good interceptions and smart tackles. Still not okay with his knee though as towards the end his limping got worse and worse. Needs to be rested until he’s fully fit.
Gary Cahill – 7 – Was slightly off from the beginning to the end, but did all right in all circumstances. Was also caught up by a poor mis-kick of the ball, but these things happen on a wet, snowy pitch!
Victor Moses – 7 – Great run and pass to set up Pedro for the opener. Had some ups and downs throughout the game, as most of his crosses were easily cleared away. At our own end he tracked back very well and played a good game overall.
N’Golo Kante – 8 – Not the kind of world-class performance we see from him usually, but it’s obviously hard for him to have a bad game. Was great with his tackles once again, and even pulled off a whole new move called ‘TACKHEEL’! An elegant move from the Frenchman where he simply tackles the opposition and passes the ball to a team-mate with his back-heel at the same time. Good game from him.
Nemanja Matic – 6 – Costly foul after a poor passing effort led to Brady’s equalizer on the first half. Not as sharp as against Arsenal, and was deservedly subbed off after an hour of play for Cesc Fabregas.
Marcos Alonso – 7 – Good, inviting crosses but sadly no where on the end of them. Good play at the back. Had one tame shot on goal easily saved from close-range.
Pedro – 8 – Great, clinical finish with the goal. But the further the match went on, the more invincible he turned out to be. Nice runs up and down the field but no real ending-product. Seemed a bit loss, just like the rest of the Blues attack might’ve.
Diego Costa – 6 – The Spaniard has entered a tiny goal drought as he’s now three games without a goal in the league. Perhaps that’s one of the main reasons to today’s draw. Wasn’t able to record a single shot on target, but tried hard to create chances and space for his teammates. Next time better.
Eden Hazard – 7 – Was yet again untouchable. Brilliant runs and often fouled for exactly that reason. Poor finishing though, as he first failed to beat the keeper early on in a one-on-one against Heaton, and later skied a shot from Arfield’s poor clearance that fell straight to him.
Subs:
Cesc Fabregas – 6 – Was brought on to inject more attacking sharpness on the 64th minute, but didn’t turn up in much better form than any other Chelsea man today. Mostly long and diagonal balls towards Costa and Hazard were the thing with in his performance. Had a chance from the edge of the area as well but he missed the goal with a horrendous shot.
Willian – 6 – Was also brought on to insert a bit of pace into the front-three, but there wasn’t much of him to see during his time on the pitch.
Michy Batshuayi – 6 – The master of last minute cameos made one yet again, as Conte subbed him on six minutes before the final whistle. Had time to play a few simple passes here and there, but that was mostly it. It’s his time to shine again next weekend when the Blues face Wolverhampton away in the FA Cup.
