'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Christian Pulisic's perfect hat-trick, accompanied by a Willian goal just before the hour mark, launched Chelsea to their seventh successive victory in all competitions as they thumped Burnley 4-2 on their own patch.
The game began in dodgy fashion, with neither side able to fabricate an opening until Pulisic's first goal for his new club. He would go on to add two more - the first time he has netted two or more goals in the same match in his senior career.
Frank Lampard has now registered four consecutive away victories for the first time in his brief managerial career. His side punished the Burnley outfit for two atrocious mistakes in their own defensive third, but were far off the pace in the first 45.
In the second half however, barring the worldie from Jay Rodriguez and Dwight McNeil's fortuitous deflected effort that disoriented Chelsea's momentum to a marginal extent, the visitors were in top gear.
Chelsea's youngsters seem to have remarkable focus and determination to play for the badge and help the team. It's no wonder then that they've scored a staggering 21 goals in their last seven encounters.
On that note, we analyze the three main reasons behind Chelsea's massive 4-2 win over Burnley at Turf Moor.
#3 Shifting gears through the second half
As mentioned above, it was Burnley's pressure and sheer muscular advantage that was doing the talking early on. Every time the ball was played out wide by the Blues center-halves to their full backs, the home side ensured that Mount and Willian would have to draw themselves closer in order to pick up the ball.
The Clarets were on top of their game especially in the midfield. Rigid, stubborn and compact as we've known them to be, they weren't messing about as far as long diagonals, pressure in the middle-third and showing appetite to win the ball back were concerned.
Nevertheless, Chelsea sprung straight out of the mire and into the sunlight in the second half. They upped their tempo and ran into better spaces, rounding off their bit of scoring in quick succession.
This Chelsea team has started to win games differently, probing against quality oppositions without any hint of panic. They shifted gears imperiously in the second half, and before Burnley could reorder themselves, the Blues had left them in their wake.
It's this sort of versatility, dynamism and intensity that has been aiding them away from home lately. Out of the 23 goals Lampard's side have slotted in this season, an incredible 16 have come away.
#2 Efficiency in defending set pieces
Chelsea have not necessarily been as regulated and consistent at the back as they've been while venturing forward. Although the management has seen substantial improvements of late, the issues with set-pieces have persisted since the very start of the season.
But today, the Pensioners were solid and settled at the back. Yes, they conceded two goals in dramatic circumstances when no one expected, but until about the final five minutes, the defense stood firm against a robust Burnley forward line.
Lampard planned it out very well - Kurt Zouma would handle the more physical and combative Ashley Barnes, while Fikayo Tomori would track the channels with Jay Rodriguez. It was fascinating to see the former two battle it out by tugging and tussling against each other.
There was a clear plan behind Chelsea's approach, as they shut down the gaps and prevented Ashley Barnes from laying it out for a partner nearby. On another day the forward could have had one or two goals, but credit goes to the away side for preempting that bit of damage.
On set-pieces, there was a sense of more man-based marking than the zonal option, owing to the strengths of the opposition in dead-ball scenarios. There were times when Chelsea lost the aerial battle, but they reassembled without any delay and won every single second ball played in.
The workhorse in Willian supported Cesar Azpilicueta time and time again, as they had to deal with a tricky McNeil down their side.
Mount and the two central midfielders were also extremely well-plotted and switched on throughout, preventing Burnley from lobbing balls over the top or breaking through the central divisions of the turf.
#1 Christian Pulisic's unique skills
He had to take the chance, and boy, did he grab it with both hands. In what went down as a rare start for Christian Pulisic, the USA skipper wrote his own script by smashing a wonderful hat-trick.
There were many elements to Pulisic's game, and that was what made the difference. His unique methodology, coupled with his skill in unlocking defenses, had no counter.
Callum Hudson-Odoi is the more explosive, wider oriented player who loves to have the ball. But Pulisic challenged the Clarets a bit differently, in terms of his space-time intelligence.
Whenever seen through heat map and still technologies, the youngster was in and around a free space - behind Jeff Hendrick and Ashley Westwood, and just ahead of the full back-center back duo. Amid a quartet of four players, the American was more often than not seen right in the middle of the space.
To produce that kind of brilliance at such a tender age is a sign of his tremendous potential.
Even apart from that, Pulisic was very sharp and incisive with his passing, touch and travel with the ball. He made use of the space, instigated counters and pounced on errors when they came up.
The rest was all ability and execution. In the build-up to his first in Chelsea colours, many would've thought he should have teed off Tammy Abraham. But instead, he looked one way and went the other. Three defenders tried to snatch it off him, but the 21-year-old gorgeously drove it past Nick Pope.
The second one was a tad lucky, but as they say fortune favors the brave. This time, it was his burst in pace, acceleration and direction that led to the goal. The header was a product of a teasing delivery from wonder-kid Mason Mount, but also a sign of what confidence does to you.
In this system, it's essential for wingers to crowd forward inside the box. That is where the goals are going to come from, as Pulisic showed on the night.
