Burnley 1-4 Chelsea: 3 Blues who impressed
By Malcom David
![BURNLEY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 7: Raheem Sterling of Chelsea celebrates scoring the third goal during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Chelsea FC at Turf Moor on October 7, 2023 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) BURNLEY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 7: Raheem Sterling of Chelsea celebrates scoring the third goal during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Chelsea FC at Turf Moor on October 7, 2023 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/5c3be144e6e10b7c577043fcd345b256d3fd44fd21723c411e75a8539cd49332.jpg)
Cole Palmer
The more games Cole Palmer plays in a Chelsea a shirt, the more he seems like a bargain signing at £45m. The 21-year-old now has three goal contributions in three starts for CFC, bringing the creativity and potency in the final third that the Blues were lacking early on in the season. In this game against Burnley, Palmer took and confidently scored Chelsea’s second goal with a penalty. The England U21 international also provided the assist to Nicolas Jackson for the Blues final goal with a composed pass in the box.
It’s clear that Palmer is thriving in the attacking midfielder role and his skillset suits the position more than on the right flank. There were moments during the match where he lacked a burst of pace on the flanks to get past Burnley defenders and as a result, he felt more comfortable drifting centrally into that No.10 role. If the 21-year-old continues on this trajectory, he will become an important player in this team for years to come. The return of Christopher Nkunku from injury by next year also poses Mauricio Pochettino an interesting squad dilemma.