March 05, (THEWILL) – In one of Saturday’s afternoon kickoffs in the English Premier League, Chelsea romped to a 4-0 victory over Burnley, courtesy of a brilliant second-half display.
Burnley were arguably the superior team in the first 45 minutes and should have been ahead, but Thomas Tuchel’s side blew them away after the interval, leaving them to regret their squandered opportunities.
Just two minutes into the second half, Reece James’ magnificent individual effort broke the deadlock, and the floodgates opened as Kai Havertz netted a brace before Christian Pulisic pushed home from close range.
Burnley settled into the game quickly and should have taken the lead on the quarter-hour mark, but Thiago Silva expertly cleared the ball off the line after Aaron Lennon had pulled the ball out for Wout Weghorst.
Dwight McNeil then wasted the best chance of the half when Edouard Mendy’s attempted punch clearance fell at his feet 10 yards from goal, but he shot wide.
Mendy, Silva and Antonio Rudiger were again called upon to make some big clearances before the half was out, with the Clarets no doubt wondering how they were not ahead. They would soon regret not taking their chances as Chelsea showed them why they are world and European champions.
James received the ball in the box just a few minutes after the restart, weaved outside, inside, and back outside McNeil before firing low past Nick Pope. Chelsea had shown their true class for the first time in the match.
Pulisic floated the ball to the back post for an unmarked Havertz to head home six minutes later, but the German was not finished.
Chelsea’s fans had scarcely stopped cheering when Havertz made it 3-0, with James once again providing the assist by drilling the ball into the area for the 22-year-old to convert from a yard out.
Burnley brought on Maxwel Cornet from the bench, but it was too little, too late for Sean Dyche’s side, who were left wondering what could have been, with Pulisic adding a fourth late on to cap a sensational second half performance.
Chelsea now leads Manchester United by six points in third place, while the Clarets remain in the relegation zone, third from bottom.
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.
