Chelsea eked out a comfortable victory over Burnley in the 3rd round of the Premier League. After Eden Hazard opened the scoring with a well-taken shot in the 9th minute, Willian doubled the Blues’ lead in the 41st minute after Burnley afforded him some time and space on the ball in the box.
Victor Moses came off the bench and inflicted further misery on the Clarets with a goal, late in the second half. Burnley were hardly in the game and failed to create a single clear-cut chance for themselves throughout the evening.
Here’s how each player fared in the match.
Chelsea
Thibaut Courtois- 6/10
The Belgian did not have a lot to do during the game, with Burnley hardly testing his abilities. With his outfield player doing their duties diligently, Courtois was largely restricted to the role of a spectator during the game.
Branislav Ivanovic- 6.5/10
The Serbian defender, who is coming on the back of a terrible season looks like a player who is on a mission to restore his reputation as one of the best full-backs in the country. He made some crucial interceptions and blocks and proved to be a tough man to get past for the rather timid Burnley attack.
Gary Cahill- 7/10
The English international put in yet another impressive performance alongside John Terry, not affording the opposition any time and space in the final third of the pitch. While he did impress at the back with critical tackles, interceptions and blocks, he added a lot to his side’s attack from deep.
John Terry- 7/10
The Chelsea captain in his final season with the club is putting in some impressive performances at the back. While he should have added to the scoreline in the second half, the Chelsea fans will be more than willing to forgive him for putting in a spotless performance throughout the evening.
Cesar Azpilicueta- 6.5/10
The Spaniard provided to be an able ally for Eden Hazard down the left flank for the side, despite his final product lacking quality on a number of occasions. His defensive contributions played a key role in his side shutting out the Burnley attack and ensuring an easy Chelsea victory.
N’Golo Kante- 7/10
The French midfielder had a clean outing featuring as the disruptor-in-chief on the evening. He won the ball on a number of occasions in the Burnley half with tackles, interceptions and blocks. He was also tidy with his passing and maintained the tempo of the game to ensure a dominant performance by the Blues.
Willian- 8/10
The Brazilian capped up a brilliant performance with a well-taken goal late in the first half. A livewire as always, he created a lot of problems for the Burnley back line with his inch-perfect passing and creative runs on and off the ball. He utilised his pace to great effect to get behind the Burnley defence on a number on occasion and cause a few problems in the box.
Oscar- 7/10
Oscar has flourished ever since he was deployed in a deeper role by Antonio Conte and added to his collection of decent performances against Burnley. He added positively to his side’s attack as well as defence and was in the thick of action for most parts of the evening.
Nemanja Matic- 6/10
Like Ivanovic, Matic too is coming on the back of a bad season and needs to perform consistently in order to secure his future at the Stamford Bridge. The industrious midfielder did not offer the opposition any time and space on the ball and made some critical interceptions during the game.
However, it was his calmness with the ball at his feet that lent a lot of balance to his side.
Eden Hazard- 8/10
The Belgian was by far the best player on the pitch. He began the evening on a positive note, picking up a pass from the centre of the pitch and going on to find the back of the net from distance. He continued his good work until he was substituted, testing Tom Heaton on a number of occasions and looked the most likely to add to Chelsea’s tally in the evening.
Diego Costa- 7/10
Costa has been at the helm of affairs at the club, scoring in consecutive league game and followed it up with another industrious performance. While he did not get on the score sheet himself and looked out of sorts in the box at times, he showed great awareness to find Willian in the box for Chelsea’s second goal.
Substitutes
Victor Moses- 6/10
Moses is playing the role of an impact player from the bench and did the same coming on as a substitute to score his side’s 3rd goal in the 89th minute to secure a comprehensive victory for the Blues.
Pedro- 6/10
Pedro, who came on to the pitch in the 80th minute as a replacement for Eden Hazard provided the inch-perfect assist to Moses for Chelsea’s 3rd goal.
Michy Batshuayi- 6/10
All the three substitutes played a crucial role in Chelsea’s third goal as it was Batshuayi who found Pedro with a pass in the attacking third.
Burnley
Tom Heaton- 8/10
Despite being beaten on 3 occasions, Heaton was Burnley’s best player through the evening as he made some crucial saves to ensure that the scoreline remained respectable for the Clarets. He denied Eden Hazard on a number of occasions and proved to be a tough man to get past in the second half.
Michael Keane- 5/10
Tasked with controlling the maverick Diego Costa, Keane did have his positive moments in the game as he kept the Spaniard in check. However, he was at fault for Chelsea’s opening goal as he failed to close down the space on Hazard and presented him with the time and space to find the back of the net from distance.
Stephen Ward- 4/10
Ward was largely restricted to dealing with the marauding Willian for most parts of the evening. While he did make some decent tackles, he did not add a lot to his side’s attack and was guilty was misplacing passes from positions that could have developed as attacking threats.
Ben Mee- 5/10
Mee was in the thick of action for the Clarets in the final third. His most vital contribution during the game came in the first half when he cleared a Hazard effort off the line. While he did not win a single tackle or aerial duel he entered into, Dean Dyche will be keen to utilise his tenacity to add some muscle to the Burnley defence.
Matthew Lowton- 4/10
The full-back had a tough game with Eden Hazard proving to be too hot to handle for him. He was dribbled past time and again and proved to be a weak link in his side’s defence, one which Conte utilised to great effect.
Scott Arfield- 5/10
The Canadian came the closest to getting on the score sheet for Burnley as he found time and space in the box in the 43rd minute. However, a chance that could have changed the course of the game was wasted and Arfield, like his Burnley teammates, spent most parts of the evening containing the Chelsea juggernaut.
Steven Defour- 4/10
The midfielder looked off the pace for most parts of the game and failed to influence the course of the game. He was largely restricted to a defensive role, which curtailed his attacking instincts and did not create any chance during the game, which is a poor statistic for a player of his reputation.
George Boyd- 6/10
Boyd was industrious as ever and put in another spirited performance, despite the apparent lack of quality in his side. He was his side’s best outfield player of the evening and could have added much more to his side with better quality of delivery.
Dean Marley- 5/10
The 32-year-old midfielder was ineffective through the evening as Chelsea midfielders got past him without much fuss. He failed to add to his side’s attack and proved to be too slow for the proceedings at the Stamford Bridge. His inability to cope up with the pace of the game might force Sean Dyche to look for a dynamic midfielder to ensure competitiveness during the season.
Andre Gray- 5/10
The Striker tried his best to break the stubborn Chelsea defence to no avail. Deprived of quality service from the midfield, he had to create his own opportunities. However, the Blues’ back line did not afford him any time and space on the ball to ensure a first clean sheet in the league since November 2015.
Sam Vokes- 4/10
Like Gray, Sam Vokes too suffered from lack of quality supply from midfield. While he did manage to hold on to the ball in tight situations, he could not link up with his strike partner. His positive contributions came in his own half as he was often seen helping his teammates with defensive manpower.
Substitutes
James Tarkowski- 4/10
He did not look comfortable on the pitch during his time on the pitch and was booked for a late challenge on Oscar.
Aiden O’Neill- 5/10
The Australian tried to drive his team from the midfield. However, he proved to be no match for Chelsea’s stubborn defensive unit.
Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson- 5/10
Guðmundsson was Burnley’s best bet during his time on the pitch as he created 3 chances during his 34 minutes on the pitch.
