As it happened: Chelsea 2-0 Burnley

That's a wrap. 

Chelsea are four points away from fourth-placed Liverpool, but they have played a game more. 

Burnley still have an eight-point cushion on Fulham. The morale shouldn't be dented by this result. 

It has been my pleasure to deliver this text commentary for you all. For the latest sporting news and reaction to that news, follow VAVEL! 

 

Chelsea: Mendy 6; Azpilicueta 8, Thiago Silva 6, Rudiger 6; Hudson-Odoi 9, Jorginho 7, Kovacic 6, Alonso 8; Mount 7, Abraham 5, Werner 6. 

Subs: Pulisic 6, James 6, Havertz n/a.

 

Burnley: Pope 7, Lowton 6, Tarkowski 7, Mee 6, Pieters 4; McNeil 5, Westwood 5, Cork 5, Brady 5; Vydra 5, Wood 5. 

Subs: Rodriguez 5, Gudmundsson 5, Mumbongo n/a. 

Burnley will be a little disappointed that they couldn't muster an attempt until the 94th minute. They played with confidence for periods in the first-half but, in the end, there was a lack of penetration. 

That being said, if you gave Dyche six points out of nine from Liverpool, Aston Villa and Chelsea, he would have bitten your hand off. This match was just a bridge too far after those back-to-back victories. 

Burnley started the game well but, eventually, Chelsea started to peg them back. Hudson-Odoi was outstanding and Alonso also made a strong return to the team, capped-off with a fantastic goal. Wing-backs are back in fashion at Stamford Bridge!

The whole team put in a good performance, illustrating some hope for the future under Tuchel. 

And that's a wrap. Chelsea grew into the game and could have scored a couple more goals. Promising signs for Tuchel going forward. 

90+4: Tarkowski registers Burnley's first effort on goal! A half-chance for him, too, wrestling to get onto Westwood's corner but he can't get his header on target.

90+3: Silva heads it behind. Decent ball from Westwood. Late corner for Burnley.

90+2: Burnley are lumping some late balls at the Chelsea defence and now they have a wide free-kick. Opportunity for Westwood to whip one in.

90: Mendy had just done a Cruyff-turn on Mumbongo! Chelsea are in cruise control. There are four added minutes to play. Burnley will hope to keep it at two. 

 

88: Mumbongo races clear and hits the foot of the post. He was comfortably offside but the officials are told to keep their flags down until the move had ended. It won't register as a shot for Burnley.

87: It has been a commanding display by Chelsea. They took a while to get into the match but they have strangled Burnley in this second 45. 

84: What a goal from Alonso! Pulisic picks out the Spaniard with a cross to the near-post and Alonso controls it on his chest, keeps the ball up with his knee, before rifling a sublime volley in off the bar. A stunning way to mark your return to the team! 

83: Wener slipped Havertz in behind and his cut-back was met by Pulisic, but the flicked effort was straight at Pope. 

81: Just under ten minutes, plus added-time, for Burnley to try and find an equaliser. They haven't registered an effort on-target, or an effort of any note, throughout the match. But, with the score still 1-0, anything is possible!

80: Havertz on for Mount.

76: Mumbongo is on to make his Premier League debut! Brady has made way.

76: Kovacic wallops an effort into row Z! 

75: James' low drive was well blocked by the outstretched leg of Pope. 

74: Hudson-Odoi had been phenomenal but he had also started the match against Wolves. One imagines Tuchel is simply giving some rest to a man who has done a lot of running down the flank. 

73: Hudson-Odoi has been replaced by James. 

71: Hudson-Odoi has Pieters on toast. The winger rolled the ball across the box to Pulisic and the American screwed his effort wide. Hudson-Odoi wasn't happy with that. Pulisic ought to have hit the target.

69: Mount misses the target again with an attempt on goal from a promising position. Lampard's favourite has has a very good game but his finishing has been very wasteful.

69: Hudson-Odoi's bullet cross ricochets off Mee and Pope makes a brilliant reaction save to prevent an own-goal.

66: Chelsea are keeping a lot of the ball and Burnley are struggling to make an opening. Mendy has yet to make a save.

62: Gudmundsson is on for Wood. One imagines that Brady will go to the left, Gudmundsson to the right, and McNeil will shift into an auxiliary number-ten role.

61: Wood is down on the ground and he doesn't look good. Dyche has just taken Vydra off and the only other striker that he has on the bench is young Mumbongo. 

60: Westwood receives a yellow for a late challenge on Jorginho. 

58: Hudson-Odoi drives at Pieters and his shot deflects off the Dutchman before rattling the post! 

57: It's a poor corner from McNeil. In between that, Vydra has come off and Rodriguez is on.

56: Westwood wins a corner after Burnley get the ball up the pitch. Big opportunity to make something happen.

54: Rodriguez is warming up. Burnley cannot get out of their own half at the moment. 

52: Hudson-Odoi picks out Werner with a pinpoint cross but the German can only direct a header into the arms of Pope. 

50: Chelsea's front-three are not fixed in their positions; they are interchanging. Werner's fierce cross has to be cleared for a corner by Mee. 

47: Pulisic looks like he's playing at right-forward, with Mount on the left, although the Englishman is operating in more of a free-role.

46: Nearly two for Chelsea. Pieters gives the ball away sloppily and Pulisic gets in behind. Werner is in support but the American can't find anyone with his pass across the box. 

46: Second-half change for Chelsea. Pulisic is on for Abraham. Pulisic should take the left-forward role while Werner goes up-front. 

 

Burnley were in this position against Aston Villa, but they fought back and won the match. In fact, Villa were more dominant than Chelsea have been in that opening half.

Nonetheless, it will take a big effort from Dyche's men in that second period. Their opponents look as though they are getting into their stride. 

Glenn Hoddle has been told that Azpilicueta ran 76m to score that goal. Easily one of Chelsea's most underrated stars. He had been phased out, somewhat, under Lampard, but the Spaniard has started both of Tuchel's matches. 

 

 

And that's the end of the opening 45 minutes. Burnley held their own for most of the half, confidently passing the ball around the pitch.

However, Chelsea grew into the match as the game went on and they deservedly took the lead towards the end of that period through an excellent Azpilicueta finish.

Hudson-Odoi has been the key man. He is loving the freedom that he is getting at wing-back. The England international is also tracking back well when needed. 

Still, it's all to play for in the second-half.

45: Just one minute of added time. Burnley have a free-kick that is just inside the Chelsea half, following a foul on Tarkowski.

43: Alonso went down easily against Lowton, much to the disgust of Dyche. The goal will have been a bitter blow to the visitors, who had worked tremendously hard to keep Chelsea out.

41: A lovely goal from Chelsea. Jorginho sets it in motion with a lovely pass inside. They work the ball to Hudson-Odoi in the Burnley box and he slips the ball to the overlapping Azpilicueta, who sumptuously smashes the ball past Pope. 

37: Werner has another opportunity with a carbon-copy angle in an inside-left position. Again, his shot is tame and Pope can easily get down to gather the ball.

35: Chelsea are starting to turn the screw. Burnley have dropped deeper and their strikers are looking more isolated. 

34: Alonso found Werner who back-heeled the ball to Mount on the edge of the box. Once again, though, the midfielder can't keep his shot down. High, wide, and not so handsome. 

30: Mount slashes the ball over the bar after after some territorial Chelsea pressure. 

29: Biggest chance of the game. Hudson-Odoi again has the freedom of Stamford Bridge to receive the ball and pick a pass. He plays a lovely cross to Werner, who inexplicably failed to make a proper contact on the ball as he stood unmarked in the middle of the box. 

26: Decent opening for Alonso. Jorginho's floated pass to the back-post is met by the Spaniard, whose header is neither a crossed header or an attempt at goal. In the end, the situation amounts to nothing. 

25: Hudson-Odoi, as the spare man, seems to be getting some joy in advanced positions. His cross was well anticipated by Tarkowski. 

23: Nothing penetrative from Burnley but the Clarets are keeping the ball well. The presence of Vydra seems to offer something a little more mobile from the forward positions. Dyche will be delighted with how his team have imposed themselves on this match.

19: A little scuffle between Tarkowski and Abraham. The Chelsea man thought that  he went down a little easily. All a bit silly. Not quite Zlatan Ibrahimovic versus Romelu Lukaku, though! 

16: Pope has been forced into another save, albeit another one that is fairly routine. Kovacic's drive from distance was well struck but it was too central. 

15: Werner finds himself some space but, after working an angle, his shot is tame and Pope can fall onto the ball. 

14: Azpilicueta plants a hanging ball into the box but Thiago Silva cannot keep his header down.

12: Hudson-Odoi is released by Kovacic but the Englishman delays his shot and Pieters recovers well to block.

10: Burnley are playing with confidence. Lots of high-pressing and quick passing. Confidence is a wonderful thing. 

7: Werner played a quick pass into Mount, who turned brilliantly into space on the edge of the box, but his final shot was well over the bar.

4: Wood had a chance to slip Vydra in but it was a poor pass. At the other end, Pope confidently claimed a long ball from Kovacic. 

2: Westwood clipped Kovacic in the middle of the pitch. First foul of the game. Not much to report, thus far.

1: And we're off! 

Tuchel is a huge fan of N'Golo Kante and he will be eager to throw him into the team. However, the Frenchman has only just recovered from his hamstring troubles so he cannot make his comeback just yet. Kante could thrive in a 3-4-3; he did under Conte. 

Burnley won at Anfield with 28% possession. Chelsea had nearly 80% against Wolves but they couldn't break their opponents down. Is possession ever pointless? Don't ask Pep Guardiola that! 

 

Dwight McNeil was excellent against Aston Villa, scoring a freakish goal before providing the cross for Chris Wood to head home the winner. He will be fancying his chances against an attack-minded Hudson-Odoi at right-wing-back.

However, Chelsea probably know about McNeil's threat. One imagines Cesar Azpilicueta will shift into over onto the right, covering any forward runs from Hudson-Odoi.

Mikel Arteta deployed similar tactics with a 3-4-3 formation that morphed into a 4-3-3 when in possession. Kieran Tierney, the left-centre-back would become the left-back. Azpilicueta is key to a fluid formation from a back-three starting shape; he is such an underrated performer. 

He puts a lot of the good form down to having a fully-fit squad and getting the better of some fine margins. 

Brownhill's injury isn't serious and Rodriguez is simply being rested. 

He adds that Tuchel is known for tactical flexibility so it's difficult to anticipate what will happen. 

Werner is making his first start under Tuchel and there is speculation over his starting position. It appears like he is the left-forward in a 3-4-3, a position he knows well from his time at RB Leipzig. 

Under Lampard, Werner often played at left-wing and he kept getting lost out wide. The left-forward position is much closer to the central striker and it can be beneficial in terms of getting in behind defences. 

Positionally, Hudson-Odoi was the furthest forward player on the pitch against Wolves. The wing-back position allows him to run at his opponents from deep and become the spare-man in attacks.

It could be a clean slate for Hudson-Odoi, after a topsy turvy time under Frank Lampard. This is his second start in two games under the new manager.

I was really impressed with Tuchel's words in his interview with Matt Smith. Articulate and charismatic. 

It reminded me of his interview for Rio Ferdinand, where he was reminiscent of an excited fan talking to a footballing legend. As a non-Chelsea fan, it's hard to wish him anything but the best of luck! 

Matt Lowton has fully merited his contract. He has really come into form over the last few months. 

Kevin Long is a solid understudy and if Johann Berg Gudmundsson can stay fit then he is also worthy of an extension. The big if is whether he can do that.

 

 

 

 

There's a lot of love for Vydra on social media. Unfortunately, many of the images and comments probably aren't appropriate to show! Ashley Barnes is still out with an injury but he's been given the nod over Rodriguez.

The other change for Burnley sees Jack Cork return to the starting eleven, with Josh Brownhill out injured. Cork has performed extremely well in the previous two matches; he warranted his return to the team, injury or not.

The new Chelsea system harps back to Antonio Conte's formation. Unlike Conte, however, Tuchel wants to play progressive, front-foot football within that back-three. 

Undoubtedly, it will take time to implement these new ideas and, unfortunately for Tuchel, time is not a luxury that many Chelsea managers are afforded. 

 

Matej Vydra has been given a rare Premier League start, coming in for Jay Rodriguez. The Czech has been lively in recent appearances and he has now been given a big opportunity to impress at Stamford Bridge.

Marcos Alonso comes in, presumably at left-wing-back, in the most surprising of Tuchel's changes. 

Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner are also in. 

Pope, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Pieters; McNeil, Westwood, Cork, Brady; Vydra, Wood

Subs: Peacock-Farrell, Gudmundsson, Stephens, Rodriguez, Bardsley, Long, Dunne, Benson, Mumbongo.

Mendy, Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Rudiger; Hudson-Odoi, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Mount, Abraham, Werner.

Subs: Arrizabalaga, Christensen, Kante, Pulisic, Zouma, Giroud, Chilwell, James, Havertz.

If you want to watch the game on TV, it will be broadcast on BT Sport. 

If you want to follow online, VAVEL is your best option!

“We’ve only got one game to go on in the Premier League, but obviously he’s been well thought of for many seasons around the different clubs he’s been at.

“We saw (against Wolves) they were passing more than they had done, with incredibly high stats on keeping the ball. They didn’t score but they certainly knocked on the door.

“We’ll wait and see but I think with our wealth of experience in the Premier League, you can always use that knowledge.

“We’ll focus on ourselves and how we can be effective.”

“I hope we will attack and we will play brave football, we will play for score and creating chances. At the same time, when I think about Chelsea football, it’s an intense game, it’s a game with mentality, teams with a winning mentality who can also defend hard and defend strong and compact and solid as a group.

“We want to create this. We see a lot of talent, we have a good mix of experience, of personality and of young players and of course we want to encourage them to play an attacking style, to be active in all moments of the game.”

Chelsea: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Rudiger; Hudson-Odoi, Jorginho, Kovacic, Chilwell; Ziyech, Werner, Mount. 

Burnley: Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Pieters; Brady, Cork, Westwood, McNeil; Rodriguez, Wood. 

Charlie Taylor is mounting his recovery from injury and Sean Dyche is unlikely to throw him straight back in for this one. 

Josh Brownhill could be out after picking up a foot injury against Aston Villa, but the excellent recent performances from Jack Cork will calm any nerves from the Burnley dugout. 

N'Golo Kante is struggling with a hamstring problem and Tuchel is expected to give him some more recovery time. 

Aside from the Frenchman, Chelsea have a full-strength squad and their new manager might want to have a look at some players who didn't make the starting eleven against Wolves. Mason Mount and Timo Werner could be part of that rotation.

Burnley were languishing in the relegation mixer but they have managed to turn things around in recent weeks. A remarkable win against Liverpool was followed by an FA Cup victory at Fulham and three points against Aston Villa. Riding that momentous wave! 

The Clarets will be hoping to cause an upset in London. They managed to do that at the start of the 2017-18 season, dismantling Antonio Conte's men 3-2. 

The former PSG manager arrived in London and, less than 48 hours later, he was on the touchline for a game against Wolverhampton Wanderers! 

Chelsea drew 0-0 in that match against Wolves, dominating possession with little punch in attacking areas. However, Tuchel will see the point as a platform to build upon and he will be eager to get his first three points at Stamford Bridge. 

Welcome to VAVEL UK's LIVE coverage of the 2020/21 Premier League match: Chelsea vs Burnley!

My name is Jonny Bentley and I'll be your host for this game.

We will provide you with pre-match analysis, squad updates and news as it happens live here on VAVEL.com.

Kick-off is on Sunday 31 January, 12.00 BST. The match will be played at Stamford Bridge.