Burnley 1-1 Chelsea
Burnley: Robbie Brady (42’)
Chelsea: Pedro (7’)
Man of the Match: Joey Barton (Burnley)
When Chelsea sold Petr Cech to Arsenal, he departed with a eulogy. The Czech, said John Terry, would save his new club 12-15 points a season. It had the feel of a hyperbole, but the goalkeeper who displaced Cech at Stamford Bridge certainly saved them one yesterday.
Twice Burnley were presented with glorious chances, the outstanding Joey Barton piercing the offside trap with a pass for the overlapping Matt Lowton and David Luiz connecting with fresh air as he tried to intercept Ashley Barnes’ pass before it reached Andre Gray.
“Two very good chances,” said Burnley manager Sean Dyche.
Both players saw the goal gaping. Thibaut Courtois saved on both occasions, denying Burnley a first top-flight win over Chelsea since 1973 and a famous scalp, while illustrating why Real Madrid are credited with an interest in the keeper.
Chelsea have been a team defined by ruthlessness. On a day when they failed to record a shot on target in the second half, their prowess in their own penalty area nudged them closer to the title.
“If someone thinks this league is finished, I can tell you now: no,” claimed a cautious Antonio Conte. “There are six teams for me that can win the league.”
Yet his side are disappearing over the horizon, 10 points clear with 13 games to go, their position seems to get more dominant by the week. A draw was a positive result, though not for Conte.
“We must be very disappointed,” said the Italian, offering another indication of his demanding mentality.
This was an anomaly for him: the first time since a 2-2 draw with Swansea in early September that anyone other than the top six denied Chelsea victory, only the third team to halt them since their catalytic change of formation.
“You can use it as a guideline we have moved forward,” said Dyche.
Burnley have reached the 30-point barrier. “A fantastic marker,” their manager said, even as his side were denied an eighth straight victory at Turf Moor.
His Chelsea counterpart did the maths. “When you totalise 30 points with 29 at home it means at home you are very tough,” Conte said. “Burnley in the table at home is third.”
They shared the points, just as both possess a fine record at their own grounds. The similarities end there. This was a clash of styles and systems, Burnley’s old-fashioned 4-4-2 against Chelsea’s more modern 3-4-2-1 as founder members of the Football League faced a 21st-century powerhouse.
Conte’s system initially troubled Burnley. Dyche found an answer, dropping his strikers deeper to combat Chelsea’s central quartet of defensive and attacking midfielders. By then, his team trailed courtesy of clinical counter-attacking. It was a product of clinical counter-attacking. Victor Moses surged away from Robbie Brady and angled a pass into Pedro’s path. With similar precision, the Spaniard found the bottom corner of the net.
Brady’s full debut had begun badly. It soon improved. When Nemanja Matic tripped Barton 25 yards from goal, the newcomer stepped up and curled a free kick past Courtois and into the top corner of the Chelsea net. It was, remarkably, the first direct free kick Chelsea had conceded for four years. It was an early indication why Burnley were willing to pay a club record £13 million fee for the Irishman. He can conform to their work ethic and provide an injection of quality.
Brady settled quickly. Chelsea had to adjust, too. Conte bemoaned the “long balls” Burnley played, but Chelsea’s final ball was lacking. Both sides held their shape; both understood it. If the falling snow was a leveller, Burnley treated Chelsea as equals and, in a very different way, matched them.
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