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It was a night to cherish at Stamford Bridge for Frank Lampard's men as a dynamic Chelsea team saw off visitors Burnley 3-0 in London.
It was a good start to the match and it looked like the visitors would provide a good fight to the home team who had been a tad sluggish and inconsistent as of late. However, after Willian was deemed to have been fouled inside the penalty box, Chelsea received a penalty and Jorginho calmly slot it past Nick Pope and opened the floodgates.
After conceding the first goal, Burnley looked a bit off and despite having a couple of good opportunities through set-pieces, Sean Dyche's men could not score. Chelsea's top goalscorer for the season Tammy Abraham, and then Callum Hudson-Odoi added two more goals in what was a dominant performance for the men in blue.
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Here are the three talking points of this game.
1. VAR takes centre stage again in the first half
This game could have gone completely differently had Burnley's first goal stood and had Willian's penalty decision been overturned - VAR played a big role in both the decisions. In the 18th minute of the game, the visitors found the back of the net through Hendrick, who scored from a set-piece. However, the official ruled it an offside. Upon inspection by VAR, it initially looked like Tammy Abraham had played Ben Mee onside in the build-up, but it was adjudged offside by the tiniest of margins, and it was a decision which Burnley feel should have gone their way.
A few moments later, Willian was fouled in the box by Lowton, but the defender was sliding away from the challenge and it seemed as though the Brazilian winger was leaning into Lowton's leg and falling easily for a penalty. VAR stayed with the on-field call as they adjudged the referee to have not made a "clear and obvious" error.
Nothing can be taken away from Chelsea's performance after Jorginho's penalty, but both the decisions could have gone either way and Sean Dyche will feel a bit hard done by the calls.
2. Burnley's tough run is off to a horrible start
Burnley's next three Premier League opponents are Leicester City, Manchester United, and Arsenal - three tough games for a side who have already lost their last three and sit just two points above the relegation zone.
This rough run of games could not have started worse as they were comprehensively beaten by a Chelsea team who were on the front foot for the majority of the game. Burnley had only 34% of the possession today and failed to convert the chances they got, whereas the usually reliable Nick Pope had a horrendous moment during the second goal when he messed up what should have been easy save against Abraham's header.
Burnley now have just 24 points from 22 games and if their current form continues, they could see themselves in the relegation zone at the end of game week 25. Manager Dyche needs to sort out his team soon, or they will be in deep trouble as they prepare to take on three strong teams over the next few weeks.
3. Chelsea's youngsters continue to impress
It was tough to choose a Man of the Match today, primarily because it was a complete team performance from Chelsea's youngsters who stole the show at their home stadium today.
Callum-Hudson Odoi has come under some scrutiny due to the new contract he signed with the club in September, as a section of the supporters believe he has not done enough to warrant the money which he is getting. The 19-year-old silenced his critics through his actions as he scored his first-ever Premier League goal for the Blues, and was outstanding throughout the game.
Tammy Abraham continued to impress as he scored his 13th goal of the Premier League campaign, and young fullback Reece James also had a night to remember as he bossed the wide areas and delivered great passes into the box. Despite Chelsea's inconsistency over the last few games, Lampard has kept faith in his youngsters and it is starting to pay off as they look more and more comfortable and in-sync by the game.
The Blues currently sit 4th in the league table and will be looking to push for the third position with these type of performances.
