Victor Moses 9/10, As Chelsea Win At Burnley To Keep Top Four Hope Alive
Chelsea defeated Burnley 2-1 in a highly entertaining game of football at Turf Moor. Antonio Conte’s men had the bulk of possession and it was no surprise when they took the lead in the 20th minute, Kevin Long putting through his own goal via a Victor Moses cross.
Burnley eventually woke up from their slumber and battled back to level the scores, when Ashley Barnes deflected a speculative shot from Johann Berg Gudmundsson past Thibaut Courtois. The game was won five minutes later as the excellent and superb Victor Moses drilled home Emerson’s cross to give Chelsea a lead that they kept until the end of the game.
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Chelsea Player ratings
Thibaut Courtois, 6/10
Making his 150th appearance for Chelsea, Courtois had little to do throughout the game and could not be blamed for Burnley’s goal which saw him wrong-footed by a lucky touch for Barnes.
Cesar Azpilicueta, 7/10
Showing no sign of the fatigue that crept into his game last time out against Southampton, Azpilicueta was always in control of Chelsea’s backline. Cahill may wear the captain’s armband, but defensively “Dave” runs the show now.
Gary Cahill, 8/10
Solid, confidence-boosting performance in the middle of the back three. Largely untroubled by Barnes and Chris Wood, Cahill’s distribution out of defence was top notch and included floating a sweet ball to Moses which brought about Chelsea’s opener.
Antonio Rudiger, 7/10
Typically mobile and robust showing against physical opponents. Gave no quarter and was always first to the ball. Formed a cohesive back-three unit with Azpilicueta and Cahill.
Victor Moses, 9/10
Tireless performance. Enjoyed the run of the right flank and won the game for Chelsea with a cross which was deflected for an own goal by Long for the opener and by later being well-placed at the back post to slot home the winner.
Emerson, 8/10
Making his full Premier League debut as a consequence of Marcos Alonso’s three-match suspension that was confirmed by the FA earlier in the day, Emerson looked every inch a classy replacement on the left flank. Solid defensively, he also made some probing runs and delivered the cross which Moses struck into the net.
N’Golo Kante, 8/10
Yet another game in which he looked like he could have carried on playing for another 90 minutes, Kante controlled the midfield and might have had an assist but for Morata’s profligacy in front of goal.
Tiemoue Bakayoko, 7/10
Recalled to Chelsea’s starting XI after a torrid run of form, Bakayoko needed a steady game and this was it. Worked well in tandem with Kante and was able to control the possession that came his way.
Pedro, 7/10
Had the energy, pace and enthusiasm to constantly create problems for Burnley’s backline and provided the link-up balls that Olivier Giroud and Morata needed to stay in play.
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Alvaro Morata, 5/10
An improvement on the past weekend’s shocking showing against Southampton, but despite linking up well with Giroud and Pedro, he was unable to make the most of chances when on the ball and missed a glorious chance to put Chelsea 2-0 up with only Burnley keeper Nick Pope to beat.
Olivier Giroud, 7/10
Slugged it out up front like a decent striker should. Always looked for the ball and distracted the Burnley defence enough for his teammates to do the damage required to win the game.
Substitutes
Eden Hazard, 5/10
Replaced Morata on 71 minutes and brought a touch of class and composure to Chelsea’s forward play. Gave Burnley’s defence more to think about than they had previously.
Davide Zappacosta, NA — Replaced Emerson late on and added fresh impetus to Chelsea’s overall play.
