Burnley 2-4 Chelsea: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Christian Pulisic Hat-Trick Seals Win for Blues

Chelsea earned their seventh consecutive win in all competitions on Saturday afternoon, as they beat Burnley 4-2 at Turf Moor.

Chelsea struck first at Turf Moor, as Christian Pulisic scored his first goal for the Blues. A mistake from Matthew Lowton saw the American steal the ball, before he burst forward, kept his calm and coolly slotted home to put the visitors in front inside 20 minutes.

The Blues doubled their lead just before half time, as Pulisic scored his second of the game. It was another piercing run through the Burnley defence, as he got through and fired his shot into the bottom corner to give Chelsea a comfortable lead going into the break.

Frank Lampard’s side started the second half as they ended the first, and made it three soon after the restart. Mason Mount put the ball back into the box with a delightful ball, and Pulisic was there to head it into the roof of the net to secure his first-ever hat-trick.

Just two minutes later, Willian put the game to bed with a wonderful low finish after Tammy Abraham put him through on goal. Chelsea thought they had a penalty, but VAR overturned Michael Oliver’s decision as substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi was booked for simulation.

Burnley scored two cracking consolations with minutes left on the clock, thanks to excellent strikes from Jay Rodriguez and Dwight McNeil. However, it wasn’t enough for the hosts, as Chelsea secured an emphatic win at Turf Moor.

Here’s the breakdown of this one…


Burnley

Key Talking Point

FBL-ENG-PR-BURNLEY-CHELSEA

Truthfully, Burnley never looked like they were in the game. They were instantly on the back foot, and, while they had a few good chances in the opening half-hour, it turned out to be the closest the Clarets would get to even breaching the visitors’ defence.

As soon as Pulisic scored his first, Burnley lost whatever control they had of the game. Defensive mistakes, lacklustre marking and underwhelming positioning meant Chelsea kept on threatening Burnley’s backline, and before they knew it they had conceded four inside an hour.

While the Clarets did face a ruthless, inform Chelsea side on Saturday, they conceded defeat far too easily and were chasing the ball for the whole game. It is a painful defeat for Sean Dyche’s side, and while they can accept that the better team won, it won’t be so easy to accept how easy it was.


Player Ratings

Starting XI: Pope (6); Lowton (5), Tarkowski (6), Mee (5), Pieters (6); McNeil (7), Cork (6), Westwood (5), Hendrick (6); Barnes (5), Rodriguez (7*).

Substitutes: Vydra (6), Brady (N/A).


Jay Rodriguez,Mateo Kovacic

STAR MAN – Burnley’s only good moments of the game came late on, and that started from Jay Rodriguez. His fantastic strike gave the Clarets a glimmer of hope, which capped off a hard-working performance from the Burnley striker.


Chelsea 

Key Talking Point

Christian Pulisic

In fantastic form and eager to make it seven wins on the bounce, Chelsea were certain to be ruthless when they arrived at Turf Moor. Having struggled in his first two and-a-half months at the club, Pulisic was the one who got the Blues going and kept their momentum throughout the game.

Once he opened the scoring, Chelsea couldn’t stop. They looked like scoring on every attack, as the Blues produced a brilliant attacking display. 

The only criticism is for their lapse of late concentration, as they conceded two late goals to almost allow the hosts back into the game.

While they were doubted at the start of the season and written off straight away, Chelsea put in an outstanding display as they made it seven wins in a row on Saturday. It was another wonderful performance, as Frank Lampard’s Chelsea continue their rise.


Player Ratings

Starting XI: Arrizabalaga (7); Azpilicueta (7), Zouma (6), Tomori (6), Alonso (6); Mount (7), Jorginho (6), Kovacic (6); Willian (7), Abraham (6), Pulisic (10*).

Substitutes: James (6), Giroud (6), Hudson-Odoi (6).


FBL-ENG-PR-BURNLEY-CHELSEA

STAR MAN – There’s only one man who can claim the man of the match award. Christian Pulisic produced a quite stunning display at Turf Moor, scoring his first Chelsea goals in style as he also secured his first hat-trick for the west Londoners.

It’s long overdue for the American, who has struggled to settle into life in England so far. However those worries are long in the past, as Pulisic put in an outstanding display to help Chelsea secure the three points and well and truly introduce himself to the Premier League.

Read a ​full Twitter reaction to Pulisic’s match-winning display here.

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Looking Forward

Burnley face a tough trip next, as they go to Bramall Lane to play Sheffield United next Saturday. The Clarets are back at home the following week, with West Ham the visitors to Turf Moor on 9 November.

Chelsea return to Stamford Bridge for a big Carabao Cup tie midweek, as they host Manchester United next Wednesday. The Blues then make the short trip up to Hertfordshire, as they face Watford on 2 November. 

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