Chelsea 2-3 Burnley: Highlights and recap

Burnley beat Chelsea 3-2 in the Premier League on Saturday, Aug. 12. Here are all the highlights from the match.

To say Chelsea’s title defense got off to a bad start against Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday would be a significant understatement. How bad was it? Well, the defending Premier League champions lost 3-2 at home to a side that collected seven away points all of last season, and ended the match with nine men. So yeah, it wasn’t good.

The Blues started the match relatively well, dominating the ball and forcing Burnley into some uncomfortable defending. The makeshift front line of Michy Batshuayi, Willian and 20-year-old Jeremie Boga looked lively with Cesc Fabregas pulling the strings from midfield.

But the shape of the match changed after captain Gary Cahill was sent off in the 14th minute for a lunging, studs-up tackle. Ten minutes laster, Burnley took the lead, Sam Vokes turning in Matthew Lowton’s cross into the bottom corner.

Antonio Conte’s side steadied themselves after conceding, but an awful five minutes before halftime saw Burnley triple their lead. Steven Ward scored the Clarets’ second, combining with Jack Cork before rifling a shot into the top corner. Vokes then made it three in the 43rd minute, again unmarked in the box, but this time heading past Thibaut Courtois.

Chelsea, to their credit, came out well in the second half, and pulled one back in the 70th minute through substitute, and record signing, Alvaro Morata, who finished easily from Willian’s cross. That gave new life to the Blues’ attack as Burnley dropped further and further back trying to protect their lead.

Morata had the ball in the back of the net again five minutes later, but his goal was correctly called back for offside. With Chelsea building momentum, and the Clarets looking increasingly fragile, Cesc Fabregas was sent off for his second yellow card.

Conte’s side, undeterred, pulled another goal back, this time through David Luiz. But it was ultimately too little too late, as the defending Premier League champions’ terrible first half proved the difference.

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Highlights

Chelsea are no stranger to bad title defenses, having finished 10th the season after their last triumph. But as awful as their opener was, there were some limited signs of encouragement in the way they fought back with 10, and then nine, men.

As for Burnley, widely tipped for the drop heading into the season, this was a stunning result. They won’t get to play against 10 men for 75 minutes of every one of their matches, but they capitalized on the opportunity expertly. Sean Dyche should be delighted, even if his side did show some defensive frailty in the second half.