Burnley did not read the script on Saturday, as the long-awaited goal avalanche at Stamford Bridge did not materialize.
Chelsea have failed to beat all three promoted clubs in West London this season.
From another red card for Chelsea to more João Pedro (£7.7m) points, here are the Scout notes from the game.
FOREVER BANNED FOR GAME WEEK 28
Wesley Fofana (£4.4m) will sit out next weekend’s match between Arsenal and Chelsea after becoming the sixth Blues player to be sent off in the competition this season.
Fofana’s dismissal for two bookable offenses earns him a one-match suspension.
In the end it was another costly red card. The Blues were 1-0 up when Fofana came off early and were not in too much danger, despite the close score and some weak attacking play.
But after Liam Rosenior’s side were reduced to ten men in the 72nd minute, Burnley’s shot count increased from five to twelve. Zian Fleming‘s (£5.3m) injury-time equalizer.
The hosts could even have been down to nine men late in the match if they made a substitution Tosin Adarabioyo (£4.0m) got away with a last-man error.
Chelsea have now dropped points in five of the six games in which they have had a man sent off this season.
FRUSTRATION FOR PALMER, MORE JOY FOR PEDRO
As part of the tactical change when Fofana was sacked, Cole Palmer (£10.6 million) made way for Tosin.
It capped a frustrating afternoon for the striker, who was the most bought midfielder of Gameweek 27.
Even though he played a somewhat bad match, he still had his chances. There was a breakaway one-on-one in the first half, in which he fired uncharacteristically tamely Martin Dubravka (£4.0 million). And then for one last desperate attempt Joe Worrall (£3.8m) feet in the second half, Palmer would certainly have scored from fifteen yards.
Palmer also set Pedro up for a decent opening after the break.
A disappointing all-round showing, but still one that could easily have led to a double-digit harvest.
Enzo Fernandez (£6.9m) had a stinker of its own, but without threatening a return. Frequently giving the ball away, he failed to create a chance (helping from corners didn’t help) or register a single shot into the penalty area.
Joao Pedro’s goal in the fourth minute was not far off half of Chelsea’s timid xG (0.84 out of 1.91).
“That [result] wasn’t on Wesley [Fofana]. That was on our performance. From the first goal we missed incision when we were in control. I want an incision. I want us to create wave after wave of attack. We were too secure in our possession.” – Liam Rosenior
Pedro has stolen 55 points in the last six gameweeks, but he now faces the same problem as his teammates: unfavorable matches:
We delved into Palmer’s underlying numbers against the bigs last week, and it’s worth pointing out that 15 of Pedro’s 19 returns this season have come against sides in the bottom half. That will be 16 in 19 if Sunderland picks up a point and tops Newcastle United on Sunday.
WHY JAMES WAS Abolished
Ree James (£5.6 million) followed Palmer when he was knocked out. His owners wouldn’t have minded as James had scored a clean sheet before Flemming’s late equalizer.
And to top it all off, there is no worry about any injuries.
“Reece [James] stretched out and I wanted to make sure I protected him. Pedro Neto stretched out, I had to protect him.
“Reece, it was just fair, he’s so important to us as a captain, being the world-class player that he is. Any sign of tiredness from him I want to take him off the pitch. I need him for Arsenal. He should be absolutely fine.” – Liam Rosenior
ESTEVAO INJURY UPDATE
The Blues were unexpectedly without Estevao (£6.4m) on Saturday – and unsurprisingly injury was the cause of his omission.
“Unfortunately yesterday during training he felt an awareness in his hamstring. At the moment we are scanning it to make sure it is nothing serious but he is not available for today’s match and we will see from there.” – Liam Rosenior on Estevao
CHELSEA’S SET-PIECE woes
One last word on Chelsea: their set-play battle.
At the bottom of the table for the set piece awarded xG (xGC SP, above), they allowed another dead-ball attempt to find the net on Saturday.
There were great set-piece opportunities for substitutes either side of that Flemming goal Ashley Barnes (£4.2m) – albeit just offside – and Jacob Bruun Larsen (£5.3 million). The equalizer in injury time was therefore not a one-off.
Encouraging news for people like Gabriel Magalhaes (£7.1 million) and Declan Rice (£7.6m), ahead of next Sunday’s match at the Emirates.
“Set plays are huge in the Premier League, they are so important. Our record this season defending set plays is not at the level necessary to achieve what we want to achieve and that is something I need to address.”
“An assignment was missed. An assignment, a marking assignment was not done. Flemming, we know, is their best header. And there was a player that I don’t want. I’m not here to throw players under the bus. I will always protect my players, I will deal with it this week. There was a player who we assigned that task and who marked the wrong player.” – Liam Rosenior
BIG GAME BURNLEY?
After the recent defeat at Sunderland, Scott Parker half-accused his players of only being ‘ready’ for the big occasions. Recent results against the big six lend some weight to that theory:
All eyes on the coming weeks, when Burnley avoid one of the traditional bigger teams:
Expecting to do anything other than play a plucky underdog can sometimes seem like a hindrance for the Clarets, who in between their brave performances against the big boys put in terrible performances against Sunderland, West Ham and Brighton. Brentford will be hoping Burnley are hit in the same way next weekend.
Flemming, by the way, now ranks a respectable eighth among FPL forwards in terms of minutes per goal this season (160.7). He has six goals to his name despite only playing eleven games.
Finally deserved praise for it James Ward-Prowse (£5.6 million). His set-piece deliveries wreaked havoc for Chelsea late on, resulting in an assist for Flemming’s header. A first competitive start for the Clarets is certainly imminent.
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