Chelsea 1-1 Burnley: Blues player ratings as wasteful league leaders are held to a draw by Burnley | Premier League 2021-22

A late Matej Vydra strike canceled out Kai Havertz’s opener as Burnley earned a valuable 1-1 draw against Chelsea in their Premier League encounter.

The hosts wasted little time in establishing their dominance at the start, using the ball well and creating several presentable chances. Having passed up a couple of good opportunities, the Blues finally took the lead in the 33rd minute through a Havertz header.

Burnley, for their part, defended gamely and would have considered themselves lucky to be only one goal down at the half-time interval.

Chelsea continued to fashion good chances in the second half but failed to put any of them away. Their profligacy in front of goal ultimately came back to haunt them in the 79th minute when Vydra equalized for Burnley.

Thomas Tuchel’s men upped the ante for the final ten or so minutes but were unable to find a way past Burnley’s resolute defense.

As such, Chelsea’s lead atop the table could be whittled down to one point if Liverpool were to win against West Ham on Sunday. Burnley, on the other hand, remain in the bottom three despite an extremely creditable result.

On that note, here are the

Chelsea player ratings against Burnley

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Edouard Mendy: 5/10

Mendy had a frustrating outing as he barely had a save to make all game but was beaten late on by a rare Burnley attack.

Andreas Christensen: 5/10

The Danish international went about his business quietly and efficiently, helping limit the extent to which Burnley were able to attack.

Thiago Silva: 6/10

Silva (R) was imperious in the middle of Chelsea's back three

Silva put in an excellent performance, winning the most duels (9) and completing the most passes (75) in his all-round display.

Antonio Rudiger: 5/10

Rudiger was a formidable presence in the Chelsea backline as well as the Burnley penalty box, using his physicality to good effect.

Reece James: 7/10

James was Chelsea's creator-in-chief in the game

Most of Chelsea’s attacks seemed to come through James, who was afforded too much freedom on the right wing. The Englishman created the most chances (6) in the match, including a beautiful assist for Havertz’s goal.

N’Golo Kante: 5/10

Showcasing his indefatigable reserves of energy, Kante was a prominent presence all over the pitch. The Frenchman completed the most dribbles (3) in the game.

Jorginho: 5/10

The Chelsea skipper was calm and composed in midfield, allowing Kante to do most of the running. However, the Italian kept the ball moving in a characteristically quick and tidy fashion.

Ben Chilwell: 5/10

Playing almost as a second winger at times, Chilwell posed a formidable attacking threat. His accurate crosses helped create quite a few chances.

Callum Hudson-Odoi: 5/10

The youngster looked extremely lively and full of running but lacked the killer instinct in front of goal. His combination with James down Chelsea’s right flank caused Burnley a lot of problems.

Kai Havertz: 6/10

Havertz's first-half header gave Chelsea the lead

Operating as a false 9 in the absence of Chelsea’s regular strikers, Havertz contributed with his first home league goal of the season. However, the German was far from fluent as he passed up a couple of good chances.

Ross Barkley: 6/10

Handed a rare starting berth, Barkley really caught the eye, showcasing excellent dribbling and intelligent positioning. A goal was the only thing missing from his otherwise impressive performance.

Substitutes:

Ruben Loftus-Cheek: N.A.

Loftus-Cheek hardly got on the ball after coming on and thus barely made an impact on proceedings.

Christian Pulisic: N.A.

The American came on for the final few minutes but was unable to fashion any clear-cut chances for his side.

Mason Mount: N.A.

Mount, like Pulisic, was brought on too late to make a notable impact on the game.