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Chelsea player ratings vs Burnley: Bring on Barcelona! Pedro Neto's the hero as ball-winning…

Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez scored in either half as Chelsea closed the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal with a 2-0 victory over Burnley at Turf Moor. Enzo Maresca’s Blues moved up to second in the table with a performance which saw Andrey Santos shine in place of Moises Caicedo, who was rested ahead of Tuesday’s mouth-watering Champions League tie with Barcelona.

Roared on by their home fans, Burnley started the better of the two teams on Saturday, forcing Chelsea trio Trevoh Chalobah, Santos and Tosin Adarabioyo into making last-ditch blocks on the counter attack. Lacking rhythm in the opening 30 minutes, Chelsea soon sparked into life, taking the lead when Jamie Gittens’ teasing cross was headed home by Neto. Retaining his place in the starting XI, Liam Delap then fired past the post as Maresca’s men carried their lead into the interval.

In the second half, Chelsea retained possession far better but their attacks were often let down by a lack of conviction from forwards Joao Pedro and Delap. However, the west Londoners shone whenever they found Neto, who struck the post with a powerful, low strike just after the hour mark. In a rare opening, in-form Burnley striker Zian Flemming wriggled free from substitute Benoit Badiashile but he blazed over from inside the penalty area.

While Burnley made a host of changes to try and force their way back into proceedings, Scott Parker’s side huffed and puffed but Chelsea eventually put the game to bed when Fernandez latched onto substitute Marc Guiu’s pass before powering the ball beyond Clarets goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Turf Moor...

Goalkeeper & Defence

Robert Sanchez (5/10):

The goalkeeper's distribution was shaky at times, drilling a clearance straight at the back of team-mate Fernandez's head in the first half in a moment that, on another day, could've seen the ball bounce back into the net.

Reece James (5/10):

Brought back into the starting XI, the skipper produced a quiet first-half performance before being substituted at half-time. He was, however, pictured smiling after the interval, which suggests he has avoided suffering an injury.

Tosin Adarabioyo (7/10):

Another introduction to the starting line-up, the centre-back made a terrific block to prevent Burnley's Jaidon Anthony opening the scoring. He was then influential in Neto's goal, playing a lofted ball towards Cucurella, who recorded the pre-assist.

Trevoh Chalobah (6/10):

Occasionally finding himself up against Burnley livewire Loum Tchaouna, the defender showed great composure in the battle, biding his time to get a good block in. However, he was fortunate not to concede a penalty in the first half when he put his hand on what looked like a restart from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, though the referee thought otherwise.

Marc Cucurella (7/10):

The Spain international was heavily involved in the build-up to Neto's headed opener, keeping Adarabioyo's lofted pass alive before feeding Gittens with a pass. A solid showing.

Midfield

Andrey Santos (8/10):

Given the unenviable task of filling in for the benched Moises Caicedo, the youngster was excellent, providing a solid shield in front of Chelsea's goal.

Enzo Fernandez (8/10):

The Argentina midfielder created the space for Neto's back-post header, making an unselfish run which attracted Burnley left-back Quilindschy Hartman. And in the dying moments of the game, he then rattled home Chelsea's second after some brilliant work from Guiu.

Attack

Pedro Neto (8/10):

Electric once again, the winger almost teed up Gittens with a teasing cross before meeting his team-mate's ball in with a super header. The former Wolves ace almost got a second after the break but his effort hit the post.

Joao Pedro (5/10):

Fielded in his favoured No.10 position, the forward struggled in the first half, with Chelsea shining out wide rather than through the middle. The Brazilian saw more of the ball after the break but he often failed to sort his feet out.

Jamie Gittens (7/10):

The England Under-21 winger almost put Chelsea ahead, thwarted at the last minute by Kyle Walker's superb clearance, before curling in the cross for Neto's opener.

Liam Delap (6/10):

In a hot and cold performance, the striker occasionally showed good hold-up play but he should have been quicker to play in his team-mates.

Subs & Manager

Benoit Badiashile (5/10):

Replacing club captain James at half-time, the former Monaco man lost Burnley's Flemming on one occasion, before receiving a yellow card for wrestling with Maxime Esteve.

Malo Gusto (6/10):

Replacing Delap in the second half, the Frenchman made a good impact, forcing Burnley shot-stopper Dubravka into a save late on.

Marc Guiu (7/10):

Brought on with 15 minutes of normal time to play, the young striker showed magnificent strength to set up Fernandez's late strike.

Enzo Maresca (7/10):

Shuffling his deck by making four changes to the side that beat Wolves 3-0, he made the brave decision to rest Caicedo and start Santos, which worked wonders. The Italian was also forced into a defensive reshuffle at half-time and his substitutions were spot on.

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