November 06, (THEWILL) –Â Despite a strong performance on Saturday afternoon, Premier League leaders Chelsea were held to a disheartening 1-1 draw by Burnley.
The Blues dominated the first half, but despite a slew of chances, could not find the back of the net. Andreas Christensen and Kai Havertz both went close with headers in the first ten minutes, with Callum Hudson-Odoi flashing a shot narrowly wide.
As Ross Barkley curled a shot just past the post, Antonio Rudiger headed over, and Nick Pope diverted Reece James’ deflected shot-cross over, it appeared that the Burnley goalkeeper was having a lucky day.
However, 10 minutes before half-time, Havertz finally broke the deadlock, rising unchallenged to flick James’ inch-perfect cross into the bottom corner.
Chelsea took their foot off the accelerator slightly after the break, but were still a whisker away from increasing their lead through Thiago Silva’s header. Havertz should have scored again soon after, but his shot went wide, and Hudson-Odoi forced Pope to make another fine save after the hour mark.
Despite dominating throughout, the hosts’ hard work was undone with ten minutes to go when substitute Matej Vydra popped up to bundle home Jay Rodriguez’s knockdown.
Chelsea fought back but could only generate one clear-cut chance before full-time, with Ben Chilwell’s low attempt getting blocked.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
