Burnley 1-4 Chelsea: 3 Blues who impressed

It’s three wins in a row for Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea as the Blues put on a stunning second-half display to dispatch of Burnley 4-1 at Turf Moor. This was a match of two halves for CFC. The first 45 minutes were extremely concerning especially defensively.  Individual errors and lack of urgency in the backline from the likes of Marc Cucurella and Thiago Silva would lead to Burnley taking the lead early in the half. The path back to the game seemed grim with the Blues devoid of any potency going forward.

We controlled a majority of possession but never really created anything significant in the final third. Yet, one man was on his game at Turf Moor for the Blues with Raheem Sterling’s persistence in running at the Burnley defense paying off as his cross would hit a Burnley defender for an own goal that put the Blues level at the half. Mauricio Pochettino would then make one change at half time subbing on Nicolas Jackson for Armando Broja. The West Londoners would almost immediately look reborn going forward, capping off an extraordinary second half display with 3 goals.

Here are 3 Blues who impressed in Burnley vs Chelsea.

Raheem Sterling

Chelsea don’t win today without the individual brilliance of Raheem Sterling. The 28-year-old began the season on a positive note, looking like Chelsea’s best forward within the first three league games. However, his form took disappointing dip as of late. That’s why this performance against Burnley has been a reassuring reminder of the quality that Sterling brings to this team. The Burnley defense had no answer to the Englishman, with him constantly provoking the home side’s backline in 1v1 situations with his pace and dribbling from the left flank. Sterling was one of the Blues’ only positive attacking outlet in a first half where we failed to consistently create any significant chances. His run and cross created the Burnley own goal that leveled the score and saved CFC from a shocking first half.

In the second half is where the former Citizen really stamped his imprint on the game. Firstly winning the penalty that Cole Palmer buried with another brilliant run into the box before being fouled. Then finally confirming the Blues win with a goal of his own in the 64th minute after making a well-timed run behind to find a Conor Gallagher’s pass and slotting it in the bottom right corner. It’s games like this that show why this young team needs a figure like Raheem Sterling at his best. The Sterling that’s confident and direct in his ability to take defenders on and create chances for both him and his teammates. Hopefully the Englishman’s form continues on after the international break.