Burnley 0-1 Chelsea: Neto strikes before half-time to put Clarets on the back foot
Chelsea lead at Burnley at half-time
Pedro Neto struck the opening goal of the Premier League weekend to give Chelsea the lead at Burnley.
The visitors had been struggling up to that point with the Clarets holding their own in a contest a little low on quality before Portugal winger Neto struck eight minutes before the break.
Marc Cucurella and Jamie Gittens were the architects, the full-back teeing up former Borussia Dortmund winger Gittens to cross deep to where Neto was stationed at the far post and he made no mistake with a diving header.
Chelsea had been growing into the contest and had started to push Burnley back before the goal arrived but it hadn’t gone smoothly up to that point, a point emphasised by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez walloping a goal kick straight into the back of Enzo Fernandez’s head after five minutes.
Quilindschy Hartman headed over and Jaidon Anthony saw a shot blocked as Burnley threatened early on.
Chelsea appeared to be missing the drive of Moises Caicedo in midfield with the Ecuador international left on the bench. But they came close in the 36th minute, Neto’s low centre heading for Gittens and what would have been a straightforward finish before Kyle Walker appeared from nowhere to get the block in.
It was only a temporary reprieve, though, as Neto struck from their next attack of note.
Liam Delap could have made it 2-0 before the break but fired a shot straight at home goalkeeper Martin Dubravka from a narrow angle.
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BURNLEY TEAM NEWS
Scott Parker named the same XI that lost at West Ham.
Burnley: Dubravka; Walker, Esteve, Tuanzebe, Hartman; Ugochukwu, Anthony, Florentino, Tchaouna, Cullen; Flemming
CHELSEA TEAM NEWS
Cole Palmer missed out and will also be unavailable for Chelsea’s next three games due to a toe injury.
Chelsea’s vast array of international players have all returned unscathed, although Moises Caicedo was deemed only fit enough for a place on the bench.
There are four changes to the team that beat Wolves before the international break with Tosin Adarabioyo, Reece James, Andrey Santos and Jamie Gittens coming in.
Wesley Fofana, Malo Gusto, Caicedo and Alejandro Garnacho drop out.
Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Tosin, Cucurella; Andrey Santos, Fernandez, Neto, Joao Pedro, Gittens; Delap
How to watch Burnley v Chelsea: TV channel, online stream
The match is scheduled for Saturday at 12.30pm. UK viewers can watch live on TNT Sports, with streaming available through the TNT Sports app and discovery+ depending on subscription.
The pre-match stats for Burnley v Chelsea
- Burnley have conceded 22 goals so far – the third-highest total in the league
- The Clarets have kept just two clean sheets in their last 31 Premier League fixtures
- Chelsea sit third with 20 points from 11 matches
- The Blues have won seven straight Premier League games played at 12.30pm on Saturdays
- Chelsea have kept back-to-back away clean sheets; they have not recorded three in a row since 2021
- Chelsea have won their last six Premier League visits to Turf Moor