toptop
Antonio
Conte recorded his third straight Premier League win as Chelsea cruised past
Burnley 3-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Eden Hazard set the Blues on their way to victory with a sensational solo effort
on nine minutes, drifting onto his right from the left and picking out the
bottom corner of the Burnley goal.
Willian added a fine second on 42 minutes as Chelsea took complete control of
the one-sided encounter, before substitute Victor Moses rounded off a
comfortable afternoon with the third a minute from time.
The result ensures Conte maintains his flawless Premier League record as Chelsea
boss, with three victories from his first three games, and sees the Blues enter
the international break top of the league, albeit temporarily.
For Burnley, they remain on three points having followed last week's victory
over Liverpool with a toothless showing in which they failed to register a
single shot on target.
Willian returned to the Chelsea line-up, replacing Pedro, after overcoming calf
trouble as Conte made one change to the side that won at Watford last weekend.
Sean Dyche, meanwhile, tried to replicate his side's victory over Liverpool by
naming an unchanged side, but, from the first whistle, it was clear the Clarets
were in for a torrid afternoon.
It took just nine minutes for the hosts to open the scoring as the Hazard broke
forward on a counter, cut inside two flailing Burnley defenders and picked out
the bottom corner of Tom Heaton's goal.
Unmarked at the far post, Hazard should have had a second two minutes later as
he gathered Willian's cross from the right, but Ben Mee, who scored a later
equaliser on Burnley's last visit to Stamford Bridge, blocked his effort off the
line.
Gary Cahill then flashed a volley wide as Chelsea went on to dominate
possession, with Burnley not offered a second's respite on what become a
difficult afternoon for the Clarets.
Willian and Oscar combined brilliantly to get in behind the tiring, static
Burnley defence on 37 minutes, but Diego Costa failed to convert the chance,
shooting straight at Heaton.
But Chelsea didn't have to wait long for their second as Willian drilled his
side's second home through Mee's legs and flashing past the helpless Burnley
stopper.
Scott Arfield spurned a glorious chance reduce the arrears shortly after but he
dragged his shot wide, ensuring Chelsea enter the break with a healthy lead.
The second half followed the trend of the first, with Burnley starved of
possession and Chelsea at their flowing best, although John Terry failed to
follow the script on 56 minutes, missing the target from three yards after
Heaton had parried Hazard's shot into his path.
Heaton continued to single-handedly keep Chelsea at bay, thwarting both Hazard
and Costa as the half wore on.
That resilience saw Burnley grow in confidence, but they lacked the quality to
penetrate the Chelsea rearguard.
Conte then looked to wrestle the initiative back, bringing Moses, Michy
Batshuayi and Pedro off the bench.
And it worked wonders as and the trio combined to set up Moses for his first
Chelsea goal since November 2012 on 89 minutes.
Player ratings
Chelsea: Courtois (6), Ivanovic (7), Cahill (7), Terry (7),
Azpilicueta (7), Kante (7), Willian (8), Oscar (8), Matic (7), Hazard (9), Diego
Costa (7).
Used subs: Moses (6), Pedro (6), Batshuayi (6).
Burnley: Heaton (9), Lowton (5), Keane (5), Mee (6), Ward (5),
Boyd (5), Marney (5), Defour (5), Arfield (6), Gray (5), Vokes (5).
Used subs: Gudmundsson (5), Tarkowski (4), O'Neill (6).
Man of the Match: Tom Heaton.
Click Here For Official Team Sheet
Teams
Chelsea Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry (c), Azpilicueta,
Kante, Matic, Willian (Moses 77), Oscar, Hazard (Pedro 81), Costa (Batshuayi 80)
Subs Not Used Begovic, Aina, Loftus-Cheek, Fabregas
Booked Oscar, Ivanovic
Goals Hazard 9, Willian 41, Moses 89
Burnley Heaton (c), Lowton, Keane, Mee, Ward, Arfield (O’Neill 57),
Defour (Gudmondsson 57), Marney (Tarkowski 72), Boyd, Gray, Vokes
Subs Not Used Darikwa, Jutkiewicz, Kightly, Robinson
Booked Keane, Tarkowski
Goals
Attendance 41,607
Referee Mark Clattenburg