Chelsea 1-1 Burnley: 10-men Blues drop points as Flemming nets late equalizer

Burnley punished 10-man Chelsea with a 93rd-minute equaliser, earning the Clarets a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, as the Blues dropped points at home from a winning position for a second consecutive PL game.

Match Report

Burnley’s primary objective in the opening stages of their trip to Stamford Bridge was to keep the back door shut for as long as possible.

Unfortunately for Scott Parker’s men, such has been their season; their resistance was broken after just four minutes as Pedro Neto broke in behind and squared for João Pedro to bundle the ball over the line from just a few yards out.

Chelsea’s pressure was relentless in the opening 15 minutes, and only a last-ditch Kyle Walker block to thwart Cole Palmer prevented them from doubling their advantage. 

Complacency seemed to creep in midway through the first half for the Blues, but fortunately for them, Burnley were hardly in a position to fashion any clear-cut chances.

Indeed, their best chance came from a set piece which was wasted by Marcus Edwards, whose free-kick drifted yards wide of the target.

A huge chance presented itself for Palmer within seconds of the ball being back in play, as the England international strode clear on goal but could only hammer a wasteful effort straight into the hands of Martin Dúbravka. 

As much as Burnley were struggling to get back into the game, Chelsea showed precious little that suggested they were going to place it beyond the Clarets’ reach.

A Neto shot that was blocked at the death by Bashir Humphreys was a warning sign that Liam Rosenior’s side still posed a danger, but they shot themselves in the foot 20 minutes from time.

Already on a yellow card, Wesley Fofana’s late lunge on James Ward-Prowse earned him a second booking and the Blues were forced to see the game out a man light.

A couple of attack-minded changes from Scott Parker gave Burnley a platform to find a late leveller, and they eventually made their numerical advantage pay in stoppage time.

It was little surprise that it was their go-to man Zian Flemming who grabbed it, ghosting into the area to head home Ward-Prowse’s delivery and send a 2000-strong travelling contingent back to Lancashire with a point.

Although a point will do little to boost Burnley’s PL survival hopes, it could prove costly to Chelsea’s top-four aspirations, as they stand to end the weekend outside of the UEFA Champions League spots. 

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

4' GOAL! João Pedro nets an early goal to put Blues in lead! Chelsea 1-0 Burnley

8' A rebound spins to Ugochukwu inside the box, but his shot flies over the bar

9' Enzo unleashes a shot and it goes narrowly over the crossbar

27' Reece James plays in a cross, but it doesn't find its way to Neto

30' Yellow Card! Hannibal Mejbri is awarded a yellow for his tackle

34' Fofana takes his opponent down and receives a yellow card

37' Palmer gets the ball from Walker's mistake but his effort is denied

39' Reece James fouls an opponent during his defencing move

51' Joao Pedro sends a dangerous shot inside the box, but it is blocked

56' Neto finds himself free inside the box and shots, but his effort is stopped

58' Gusto sends a low pass to Palmer whose effort is intercepted by the defender

72' Red Card! Wesley Fofana is shown a second yellow card for his foul

74' Palmer leaves the pitch and Adarabioyo comes on

76' Laurent produces a promising shot but his effort is blocked by a diving save

80' Burnley appeals for a handball by Adarabioyo but the ref takes no action

82' Bruun Larsen delivers a cross into the box but the keeper denies his effort

87' Reece James and Neto are replaced by Acheampong and Mamadou Sarr

92' GOAL! Flemming bullets his header straight into the net! Chelsea 1-1 Burnley

Line-ups

Chelsea XI: Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Robert Sánchez, Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana, João Pedro, Enzo, Caicedo, Gusto, Andrey Santos

Subs: Adarabioyo, Gabriel Slonina, Garnacho, Liam Delap, Lavia, Mamadou Sarr, Jorrel Hato, Josh Acheampong, Guiu

Burnley XI: Dubravka, Walker, Josh Laurent, Edwards, Joe Worrall, Zian Flemming, Hannibal, Maxime Estève, Bashir Humphreys, Jaidon Anthony, L. Ugochukwu

Subs: Barnes, Ward-Prowse, Larsen, Florentino, Hjalmar Ekdal, Loum Tchaouna, Lucas Pires, Quilindschy Hartman, Max Weiß