Raheem Sterling and two other Chelsea stars laid down huge statements of intent with their performances against Burnley on Saturday afternoon. Mauricio Pochettino’s side came from behind to register a 4-1 victory at Turf Moor, a result which secured back-to-back wins in the Premier League for the first time in seven months.
Chelsea went behind after just 14 minutes when Wilson Odobert found the net before an own goal from Ameen Al-Dakhil levelled things up for the visitors. The Blues turned the screw in the second half, with a Cole Palmer penalty and further goals from Sterling and Nicolas Jackson wrapping up all three points for the visitors.
It was Sterling who stole the show against Burnley after returning to the side in place of Mykhailo Mudryk, who was forced to settle for a place on the bench. The latter’s exclusion was seen as harsh in some quarters following his excellent performance against Fulham on Monday, although it quickly became apparent that leaving him out was clearly the right decision.
Sterling energised Chelsea in the final third with his direct running and clever footwork, which caused no shortage of problems for Burnley’s defenders. He was rewarded before half-time when he forced the own goal thanks to his relentless pressure, while he later managed to get on the scoresheet himself with a pinpoint finish into the bottom corner.
The 28-year-old, who was left out of Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad in midweek, also had a major hand in Jackson’s late goal after bursting down the wing and firing a dangerous ball into the box. It seems as though it will be hard for Pochettino to leave Sterling out when Chelsea face Arsenal after the international break, with the winger staking a huge claim for a regular starting spot against Burnley
Moises Caicedo also proved his worth for the Blues with an imperious showing in the middle of the park, where he is starting to form a strong partnership with Enzo Fernandez. Both players combined well against Burnley but Caicedo was the standout performer of the two, winning 80 per cent of his ground duels and completing 96 per cent of his attempted passes.
The former Brighton man will be hoping to maintain the same high standards after the international break, with Caicedo almost certain to be a shoo-in against Arsenal in Chelsea’s engine room. Axel Disasi, meanwhile, has emerged as another potential undroppable for the Blues after his commanding performance at Turf Moor.
Disasi was a brick wall for Chelsea and has ticked a lot of boxes in their search for a right-sided centre-back following Wesley Fofana’s long-term injury. He has been a rare shining light for the west Londoners this season, but the same cannot be said for Marc Cucurella after struggling to keep up with the pace of the match against Burnley.
The Spaniard, who reportedly wants to leave Chelsea in January, started at right-back but was arguably their weakest performer and certainly looked like an unhappy player. He was often turned inside out by his opposite number and failed to keep a lid on his frustrations, picking up a needless yellow card at one stage for kicking out with a trailing leg after being left for dead.
Chelsea are currently short of options on the right side of defence, with the likes of Reece James and Malo Gusto still unavailable for selection. The Blues will be desperately hoping for some of their sidelined stars to return as quickly as possible, with Cucurella just not working out under Pochettino as things stand.
Want the latest Premier League news as we publish it on Express Sport? Join our Facebook group by clicking here.
