Chelsea 1 - 1 BurnleyChelsea: Branislav Ivanovic 14
Burnley: Ben Mee 81It would be a stretch to say that Chelsea’s title charge came off the rails here but it did stall, at least, as José Mourinho’s side lost two points and a key player, with Nemanja Vidic being sent off in the second half for reacting violently to an ugly tackle by Ashley Barnes. Chelsea were winning at that point thanks to Branislav Ivanovic’s goal in the first half, but Burnley equalised when Ben Mee headed in from a corner in the 81st minute.
Both sides sought a decisive goal in a frenetic, foul-tempered finish but ultimately the league leaders and the side who began second from bottom shared the points.
Chelsea had chosen this match to celebrate their second annual “Equality Day” before a handful of their fans exposed themselves as racist oafs on the Métro prior to Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain. Whether that made the timing of this occasion fortunate or unfortunate was beside the point: the important thing was that the club emphatically condemned the abuse in France. Statements from various senior figures, including John Terry, in the match programme and on large screens in the stadium asserted the club’s intolerance of racism, and a home-made banner displayed by fans in the Shed End declared “Black or white, we’re all Blue”.
Meanwhile on the pitch, it seemed initially that things would unfold in a more routine manner for Chelsea. Mourinho was eager to quash the visitors rapidly and open up a 10-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the table before Manuel Pellegrini’s side took on Newcastle later in the day, and Chelsea made an encouraging start, without ever reaching top gear. The visiting goalkeeper, Tom Heaton, was forced into a one-handed save in the fifth minute when Juan Cuadrado, one of four changes to Chelsea’s starting line-up from the PSG match, sent a looping header towards goal from 15 yards after meeting a cross from Filipe Luís.
But all season Burnley have been on a mission to subvert the established order and Sean Dyche’s gallant band of rebels soon hinted at the threat they will need to muster on a regular basis of they are to clamber free of the relegation zone. In the sixth minute, Barnes whacked a fine volley goalwards. Thibault Courtois saved with authoritative ease.
For all their laudable attributes, Burnley do not have a player of Eden Hazard’s ingenuity. Very few teams do. In the 14th minute the dazzling Belgian showcased his rare deftness and trickery by skedaddling past three defenders in a cramped part of the box before pulling the ball back for Ivanovic to tuck into the net from close range. That was a repetition of one Parisian event that Chelsea did not mind seeing again, with this goal, added to the one against PSG, taking the defender’s tally for the season to six.
Burnley continued to pose problems but were kept mostly at arm’s length by Chelsea. Courtois made another stop from a long-range effort form Barnes, and Kieran Trippier delivered several dangerous crosses from the right without unhinging the home defence.
Diego Costa, as in Paris, was struggling to rediscover the form he showed before his three-game suspension earlier this month, but in the 32nd minute he made an impressive contribution by foraging with the ball before finding Cuadrado, who set up Ivanovic for another shot, this time from 20 yards.
The Serb’s drive was blocked by Michael Kightly’s flailing arm and Chelsea demanded a penalty, but referee Martin Atkinson seemingly deemed the handball accidental.
Chelsea appealed to the referee again in the 44th minute when Costa collapsed in the box following contact from Jason Shackell. Mourinho, who claims his striker gets a raw deal from officials, threw his arms to the skies in supposed disbelief when the referee waved play on, but the decision seemed fair – Shackell’s hands did not touch Costa but it was hardly the sort of shove that, for example, would prevent a commuter from boarding a train.
Chelsea looked like they could do with being shaken up by their manager at half-time and they did improve, though Burnley were the first to threaten in the second period. In the 50th minute Barnes brought Courtois’s best save so far with a deflected drive from 18 yards, the keeper diverting it over with one hand.
Chelsea immediately went close at the other end, Ivanovic yet again to the fore as he sent a header towards goal from a corner. Burnley scrambled the ball away despite Matic’s attempt to help it over the line. Hazard then sent Costa scampering towards the box but the striker’s shot lacked the power or precision to beat Heaton.
Ivanovic was ubiquitous. In the 58th minute he clipped an inviting cross from the right towards Costa, but the forward just failed to apply a decisive touch from close range. Chelsea seemed to be tightening their grip on the game but Matic then suddenly lost his head. The midfielder was angered by Barnes’ dangerous follow-through in a tackle and showed his fury by charging at the player and pushing him to the ground.
The referee reached for his red card and, despite Ivanovic’s attempt to prevent him from holding it aloft, he showed it to Matic, who briefly had to be held back by team-mates before accepting the decision and jogging down the tunnel.
Mourinho immediately sought to shore up midfield by replacing Oscar with Ramires. The manager was intending to introduce Gary Cahill for Costa in the 81st minute as Burnley lined up a corner following a fine save by Courtois from another Barnes shot, but he could not get the change done in time and had to watch aghast as Mee rose above Ramires and headed Trippier’s delivery into the net.
Both managers made attacking changes in search of a winner and Burnley came closest to snatching it, Danny Ings firing over after a swift counter-attack in stoppage time.
By Paul Doyle, Guardian