Burnley were better in the first half, but Chelsea stepped up and scored 4 second half goals in 22 minutes to win comfortably at Turf Moor
By Kehinde Okeowo
FIFA Club World Cup holders, Chelsea put four goals past relegation strugglers, Burnley at Turf Moor to compound their fight to escape relegation.
The home side started the brightest and had the better opportunities to take the lead in the first half, despite Chelseas’ dominance, but neither side could break the deadlock.
Chelsea however stepped up in the second half and scored 4 goals in 22 minutes, cruising to a 4-0 victory in the process.
Reece James opened the scoring in the 47th minute, thereafter, Pulisic’s pinpoint cross was guided home expertly by Havertz in the 53rd minute, before the German bundled James’ cross over the line for his brace.
ALSO READ: Leicester forward, Ademola Lookman eager to face Ghana
Pulisic got in on the act 21 minutes from time, rounding off what turned out to be a comfortable afternoon for Chelsea.
The Blues with the win go 6 points clear of Manchester United who is in 4th position in the race for Championships League Places
Burnley on the other hand missed the opportunity to leapfrog Merseyside side Everton and leave the relegation zone for the first time this year.
Chelsea forward Kai Havertz after the win said it took them a while to get going but after switching formation in the second half they made the game more difficult for Burnley.
He also said that the Carabao Cup final loss to Liverpool took a toll on the team but they dug deep in the game and showed good character.
He said, “We’re very pleased. The result is very good for us. We needed these goals and a clean sheet. It was difficult, especially in the first half. We needed to score early in the second half.
“We switched our formation a little bit [at half-time] – I think that helped us. Reece’s goal was brilliant and it helped us a lot. We’re pleased about these four goals.
“The confidence is there. I think after the loss in the Carabao Cup final it was a little bit hard to come back, but we showed great character in the FA Cup.
“The first six months of the year were hard, especially the winter when we had a lot of injuries. We’re on a good run again and we want to keep that going.”
OTHER PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Leicester 1 vs Leeds 0
Aston Villa 4 vs Southampton 0
Newcastle 2 vs Brighton 1
Norwich 1 vs Brentford 3
Wolves 0 vs Crystal Palace 2
