Chelsea had the chance to extend their lead to 10 points, but instead were held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea had taken the lead in the first 15 minutes of the games, after some great work by Hazard, Ivanovic was it again – right place right time. It was his fourth goal in six games.
Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty on two different occasions: the first one when Ivanovic’s shot struck the arm of Kightly inside the area, and the second one when Diego Costa was pushed to the ground by Burnley Captain Jason Shackell.
However things turned ugly after the break and Matic was the subject of wreckless tackle by Asheley Barnes, who should have been sent off for it but instead, the Chelsea midfielder was the one who picked up a red card for reacting angrily to that challenge. A dismissal which will see the Serb miss the League Cup final in the coming week against Tottenham.
Thibault Courtois wasn’t called into action until the 51st minute when he tipped over Barnes’s deflective shot and Chelsea decided to bounce back, this time with Diego Costa. Even though, he’s been far from his best today, he was seeking his 18th goal of the season.
Barnes who should have been sent off, saw his shot stopped by Courtois and thought he had equalised. From the Corner Burnley got their equaliser when Mee headed home, which sparked jubilation amongst the travelling fans but also anger amongst Chelsea fans.
It is a rather disappointing week for Chelsea. Many bad things have happened over a short period of time including negative headlines for the racist actions of a small group of Chelsea supporters in Paris last Tuesday.
Chelsea will travel to Leicester City next Saturday and try and keep their lead in the title race in the Premier League.
