Chelsea grinded out a tough 2-0 win against Burnley, and there were plenty of positives to take from the early kick-off.
Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez were the goalscorers as Chelsea dispatched a Burnley side that didn’t make it easy for Enzo Maresca’s men.
The first game after an international break can be an awkward affair, and it certainly wasn’t Chelsea’s best performance of the season, but it was enough to take the Blues to second in the table and give the players confidence ahead of two massive ties next week.
Who was your player of the match vs Burnley?
Here’s three things we learned from the trip to Turf Moor.
Andrey Santos is an able deputy for Moises Caicedo
Caicedo had the longest journey back to Cobham after the break and Maresca elected to rest him. That decision paid off in spades and showed us that Andrey Santos can step in.
Andrey Santos for Chelsea against Burnley
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Santos put in his best Chelsea performance, dominating the middle of the park and making it a long afternoon for the Burnley players.
It’s good to know that Lavia’s absence won’t be felt as heavily with the Brazilian there to cover.
Marc Guiu is ready to fight for his place at Chelsea
There are going to be a lot of strikers at Stamford Bridge next summer. Dastan Satpayev and Emanuel Emegha are incoming, and Liam Delap and Joao Pedro are the clear first options.
But Marc Guiu’s brief appearance showed that he wants to stake his claim for third-choice status. He created Chelsea’s second through determination alone, battling his way past a Burnley defender and squaring it to Fernandez for an easy finish.
Maresca is happy with Guiu at Chelsea so far, and if he keeps making this kind of impact off the bench, there may yet be a future for him in a blue shirt.
Marc Cucurella for Chelsea against Burnley
Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
Marc Cucurella is making a case for best left-back in Europe
Marc Cucurella was outstanding against Burnley. Chelsea were struggling to progress the ball forward in the opening stages, with the home side creating a wall of claret shirts in the middle of the park.
When Cucurella started stepping into the midfield, it completely opened the game up for the Blues. He was instrumental in Chelsea’s opener, holding the ball up and laying it off for Jamie Gittens to find Neto at the back post.
He continued to cause the Burnley defence issues with cleverly timed runs in behind. It was as complete a performance as we’ve seen from the 27-year-old.
PSG’s Nuno Mendes and Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde are widely considered the best left-backs in Europe, but Cucurella is making a case to be put ahead of the two. He can do a bit of everything — creating, defending, building up the play.
Conversations will have to be had soon over his standing amongst elite left-backs in Europe.