Ten-man Burnley show fighting spirit to hold Chelsea

Relegation-battling Burnley showed their fighting spirit by twice coming from behind despite playing most of the match with 10 men to draw 2-2 against Chelsea in a thrilling match at Stamford Bridge. 

Dara O’Shea’s late header claimed a point for Burnley after Lorenz Assignon had been sent off in the first half of a match that could have been won by both sides late on.

There were two Chelsea changes as Benoit Badiashile and Mykhailo Mudryk came in, while  Burnley made two changes too. David Datro Fofana was ineligible against his parent club, so Lyle Foster was brought in as was Zeki Amdouni. 

Chelsea almost went ahead in the opening 10 minutes but Enzo Fernandez’s deflected strike was tipped on to the woodwork by Arijanet Muric in the Burnley goal. But Burnley threatened as Foster forced Djordje Petrovic into a full-length save. 

Muric again was called into action in the 19th minute as Nicolas Jackson weaved his way into the area but the Burnley ’keeper blocked his shot. From the resulting corner Chelsea thought they had gone in front after Axel Disasi had bundled the ball in at the back post, but the goal was overturned as the Chelsea defender had used his arm to score. 

Chelsea broke the deadlock just before half-time from the penalty spot. Mudryk overran a through-ball but Assignon bundled the winger over to concede the spot-kick and earn himself a second yellow card. Also sent off was Burnley boss Vincent Kompany for his protests. 

Cole Palmer stepped up to score his 12th league goal of the season and his 20th goal involvement of the campaign, only the fifth time a Chelsea player has done so in the Premier League. 

But inside the opening two minutes of the second half Burnley went level with a brilliant strike from Josh Cullen.

The midfielder exchanged passes with Josh Brownhill and, although the ball was at an awkward height, Cullen lashed it first time into the net from outside the area for his first Premier League goal.

Burnley almost made it 2-1 through Foster’s header, but Petrovic stretched to his right to save. 

Palmer made Chelsea’s man advantage finally count in the 78th minute with a beautiful goal. Fernandez’s vertical pass was cleverly flicked by substitute Raheem Sterling to Palmer, who turned and clinically buried the ball into the far corner. 

O’Shea put Burnley back level in the 81st minute with a header that Petrovic was unable to keep out. 

Sterling then had a glorious chance to restore Chelsea’s lead but skewed a close-range shot wide. 

Burnley substitute Jay Rodriguez almost gave Burnley a famous win, his header hitting the bar before his follow-up volley off-balance was skied over. 

The point means Chelsea remain 11th on 40 points, while Burnley have 18 points in 19th, effectively five points from safety because of their poor goal difference.

Chelsea remain unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League matches against Burnley (W8 D3), scoring at least two goals in 10 of those matches.

Burnley are unbeaten in three Premier League matches for the first time under Vincent Kompany (W1 D2), their longest such run in the competition since April 2022 (four matches).

There were 51 shots in the match (Chelsea with 33, and Burnley with 18). Only one Premier League match on record (since 2003/04) has seen more attempts at goal – Queens Park Rangers against Leicester City in November 2014, with 52.

Palmer became the first Chelsea player to score in five consecutive Premier League home matches since Eden Hazard in December 2014.