Chelsea have had to settle for a frustrating draw at Stamford Bridge on Saturday when Burnley fought back to get a point. Liam Rosenior’s team were left wishing they hadn’t lost another home game in their quest to qualify for the Champions League.
The Blues took an early lead when Joao Pedro scored in the fourth minute by heading in a cross from Pedro Neto from close range. The home team seemed to be in full control and pushed for a second goal to put the game beyond the visitors’ reach.
Chelsea’s disciplinary problems resurfaced when Wesley Fofana stepped on James Ward-Prowse’s foot in the 72nd minute, earning a second yellow card and leaving the home team with 10 players. The Blues have now received eight red cards this season across all competitions, a worrying trend that has been ongoing for a while.
Burnley took advantage of their extra player in the last few minutes when Zian Flemming headed the ball into the far corner from Ward-Prowse’s 93rd-minute corner. This caused wild celebrations among the traveling fans and another damaging home draw for Chelsea.
Chelsea now has 45 points and is in fourth place, but Manchester United could pass them before the week is over.
Liam Rosenior Reacts to Chelsea’s Dropped Points
Rosenior complained that his team didn’t score enough goals in the first half and didn’t capitalize on their dominant periods. The Chelsea manager stressed that the best teams finish off opponents when they have the upper hand, and that keeping clean sheets remains a big concern for his team, before adding:
“I’m learning about the players. I’m learning about the people you can lean on when things aren’t going your way and you need to see a game out. That’s something we need to address very quickly.”
Speaking about Burnley’s equalizer, he said:
“A marking assignment was missed. I’m not here to throw players under the bus – I will always protect my players, and I’ll deal with it during the week. But there was a player assigned that duty who marked the wrong man.”
Chelsea have blown another lead at Stamford Bridge. This season, promoted teams Sunderland and Leeds have already come back to take points from the west London club. In the tight race for European qualification, these lost points could be very expensive.
Chelsea will try to bounce back when they play Arsenal in a big London derby next weekend. Burnley will also try to bounce back when they host Brentford in another important relegation six-pointer.