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Chelsea were held to a 2-2 draw by Burnley in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, March 30.
The Blues entered this contest on the back of a decent run of form. They had lost just once in their five matches prior to this, winning two and drawing two. However, with eight goals conceded in their last four, Mauricio Pochettino's men were looking to plug their defensive gaps. The Argentine made one change to the lineup that faced Leicester in the FA Cup last time around.
Burnley, on the other hand, had just one win in their five games prior to this match. That came in their last game against Brentford as they won 2-1 at home. However, they lost three and drew one of the four games before that as they continue to struggle in the relegation zone. Vincent Kompany fielded a strong XI for this game.
Chelsea made a strong start to the game and dominated possession of the ball in the first half. Axel Disasi appeared to have given the Blues the lead midway through the first half but the goal was ruled out due to handball. However, Burnley defender Lorenz Assignon conceded a penalty just before half-time. Cole Palmer scored from the spot to ensure the hosts led 1-0 at the break.
Burnley came up with a quick reply after the restart as Josh Cullen equalized two minutes into the second period. Despite seeing less of the ball, the visitors managed to create multiple chances. However, Chelsea grabbed the lead after 78 minutes as Palmer converted Raheem Sterling's pass. The Clarets hit back with a quick reply just three minutes later as Dara O'Shea equalized to make it 2-2.
Neither team could grab the winner late in the game despite five minutes of added time with the result being a 2-2 draw. That said, let's take a look at the five hits and flops.
#5. Hit - Josh Cullen (Burnley)
Burnley's captain had a great game in the middle of the park and scored his team's leveler to make it 1-1 after 47 minutes. He showed great vision in midfield and kept his team's momentum going with his passing. Cullen passed the ball with 91% accuracy, including three key passes, four crosses and one long ball.
Cullen also did a decent job on the defensive end. He won three duels and made one clearance, one interception and one block. He was booked late in the first half for a late tackle.
#4. Flop - Lorenz Assignon (Burnley)
Assignon put his team in a tough spot with irresponsible bits of play in the first half. He was on the pitch for just 40 minutes and picked up his first yellow card just 16 minutes into the game. He had just 17 touches of the ball and won three duels, making two tackles and one interception.
However, Assignon's night was cut short after he fouled Mykhaylo Mudryk in the box to concede a penalty. To make matters worse, Chelsea scored from the resultant spot-kick.
#3. Hit - Arijanet Muric (Burnley)
Burnley's custodian had an incredible game and did extremely well to keep Chelsea's total to just two goals. He made six saves in the first half and only conceded Palmer's penalty.
Muric put in another spirited performance in the second period to help his team earn a draw. He made five saves in the second period in a great performance. Eight of his 11 total saves were from shots inside the box. Muric also played an impressive 20 accurate long balls.
#2. Flop - Dorde Petrovic (Chelsea)
While one goalkeeper could possibly steal the headlines for his incredible saves, Chelsea custodian Petrovic's night did not go so well. He did make four saves during the game and looked sharp for most parts. However, he made a dreadful error late in the game as he parried the ball into his own net from Dara O'Shea's header.
#1. Hit - Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
The Blues' attacker had another great game as he scored a brace to help his team earn a point. His first goal came from the penalty spot in the first half as he calmly converted his chance. Palmer completed his brace with a goal in the 78th minute in a great performance.
He passed the ball with 77% accuracy, including five key passes and four long balls. He also won three duels. With this brace, Cole Palmer is now up to 16 goals and 12 assists in 37 appearances across competitions. Of those 11 goals and eight assists have come in 24 Premier League games.
In doing so, Palmer has now become Chelsea's youngest-ever player with 20 goals and assists in a season.
