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MOTD: Burnley 1-3 Chelsea

By on August 18, 2014

Fabregas, Schurrle, Hazard, Ivanovic, Fabregas, Schurrle – GOAL. This was just a clip of the passage of play leading up to Andre Schurrle’s goal that put Chelsea ahead of Burnley twenty minutes in tonight. Everything about the goal was artistry, the quick passing, the movement, the finish; it was something out of Barcelona’s playbook. In fact, when Chelsea were rolling, from Diego Costa’s seventeenth minute goal to probably the half hour mark, they looked much like Barcelona. Eden Hazard and Andre Schurrle would get wide, while Fabregas and Oscar pushed forward in the midfield turning their 4-2-3-1 into an attacking 4-3-3. Hazard and Schurrle would move than often cut into the middle allowing the full backs to overlap, while Nemanja Matic held the ship together in front of the back line. In the end Chelsea’s midfield, wingers, and forwards all spent the majority of the match in the same area right down the middle channel.

And this attack was simply far too much for Burnley, who were purely outclassed. The home side gave it their all, as evident by their go get ’em start, in which they actually took an early lead, but Chelsea just were technically one level above their newly promoted opponents. By halftime the game was done and dusted.

Yet you can still be excused for wondering if Burnley would actually pull off the victory after Scott Arfield scored fourteen minutes in. In fact, you would probably be among all of the home supporters at Turf Moor for quietly thinking in the back of your mind how wonderfully incredible it would be for Burnley to pull it off. Partially because Burnley had burst out of the starting blocks with such pace. Lucas Jutkiewicz sent the crowd behind the goal into a frenzy for a few seconds as they thought his early shot from a tight angle to the left of goal nicked past Thibaut Courtois into the near post, but in reality it hit the side netting. Yet eight minutes later Arfield put Burnley in front in even better fashion. Matthew Taylor lofted a brilliant cross straight to the waiting feet of Arfield on the edge of the box, and after brining it down the Scot sweetly struck an all to easy volley dipping right into the top left corner.

But Burnley’s lead only lasted for three minutes before Diego Costa reminded them why he himself is worth more than their entire squad. Fabregas back-heeled it into the path of Ivanovic overlapping down the right, for the full-back to send a low cross all the way across the Burnley goal. The ball rebounded back into the middle of the inside of the far post, where Costa waited unmarked to pounce on his chance for an easy finish. And seven minutes later order was restored. Moreover, it told the story of the gap between the two sides. Hazard drove the ball through the middle before playing it wide right to Ivanovic, who cut a beautiful pass to Fabregas back on the top of the box, where the Spaniard found the incisive run of Schurrle behind the Burnley defense with a brilliant one touch half volleyed back-spinning pass. Schurrle coolly tucked the ball home and easily one of the goals of the seasons put Chelsea up.

Soon it just because all to easy for Chelsea, as Burnley lost their confidence after being poached down so quickly. Ivanovic was wide open right in the middle of the six yard box when he volleyed Fabregas’ corner into the back of the net thirty-four minutes in. The game was all but over – you could also excuse Chelsea for coasting the rest of the night.
Man of the Match: Cesc Fabregas

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.