Chelsea 2-2 Burnley
Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea climbed into fourth place in the Premier League tonight, but their chances of cementing a Champions League place were dashed by a stubborn Burnley resistance.
In a blistering first half, Burnley took a shock lead before Chelsea hit back with a double strike, and then the Clarets levelled again. The race for a top-four place has opened up this weekend with Arsenal losing at home to Crystal Palace and Manchester United taking a hammering at Everton.
And the latest Premier League 2019 betting odds have Chelsea and Arsenal neck and neck to claim the final Champions League place. But the Blues missed a chance to forge ahead while Burnley virtually guaranteed a fourth consecutive season in the top flight.
Highlights of the game
Chelsea often start well and they did again tonight, swarming all over their visitors. Only superb positioning from Burnley keeper Tom Heaton kept out an early
Eden Hazard shot. The Belgian came even closer moments later, but when he lifted the ball over Heaton, centre-back Ben Mee made a brilliant goal-line clearance.
The Clarets shocked Chelsea on the opening day of last season by winning 2-3, and they had won more points than the Blues in 2019, so should we really have been surprised when they went ahead?
Dwight McNeil swung a corner over, and when the headed clearance dropped onto Jeff Hendrick’s boot the Ireland international hit the sweetest volley past Kepa and into the net.
But how Chelsea responded! First, Hazard weaved his magic on the left and pulled the ball back to N’Golo Kante, who fired home the equaliser on 12 minutes. And just two minutes later, Gonzalo Higuain played a one-two on the right side of the penalty area and slammed his shot high into the net from the tightest angle.
You can’t keep Burnley down, though, and on 24 minutes the Clarets were level again. As the ball was lobbed into the Chelsea area, Mee headed it across the box and when Chris Wood flicked it on, Ashley Barnes was left alone to convert his 11th league goal of the season.
The second half started a little quieter. Higuain had a shot easily saved by Heaton and Emerson fired a shot well wide. Then, as we approached the three-quarter mark, Cesar Azpilicueta forced Heaton into another save.
Sarri played his last card by bringing Olivier Giroud on for Gonzalo Higuain, but while Chelsea laid siege in the Burnley half, the Clarets held firm. The Blues simply couldn’t break through a resilient Clarets’ defence marshalled by Ben Mee, who blocked anything that Chelsea could throw at him.
Key statistics
Chelsea totally dominated the game tonight but the only statistics that really matter are that both sides hit the net twice and Chelsea dropped two valuable points.
Burnley came into the game bang in form with a run of three consecutive wins, the only side in the Premier League to match Manchester City and Liverpool in that respect! And the point won tonight means that the Clarets will almost certainly be in this company again next season.
This is the first of Burnley’s Monday night games to end in a draw, having won three and lost six of their previous games.
Chelsea are now in fourth place, a point ahead of Arsenal, but the Gunners do have a game in hand. The race for the Champions League is going down to the wire.
What’s next?
Well then. After another monumental weekend of Premier League 2019 results, the league table tells a story of an exciting three weeks ahead. There will be twists and turns all the way. The stakes are getting higher by the week, and you can follow all the action right here at SBOBET.
And there is another huge fixture facing Sarri’s Blues next Sunday when they head north to Old Trafford to face Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s beleaguered Manchester United. They need to get at least a point from that game, but the Red Devils play Manchester City in midweek and the result of that match could well determine their mood.
Sean Dyche’s Clarets can have a big say in the title race next week when they entertain Manchester City. The Champions drew at Turf Moor last season and, after watching the way Chelsea struggled to break the Clarets down, Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues will know they are in for a battle. And the Clarets beat Spurs at home recently.
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