PERFECT STORM HITS THE BRIDGE
Champions swept away by Vokes after skipper Cahill’s red card opens floodgates
CHELSEA have developed an unfortunate habit of summoning dark clouds from a clear blue sky and yesterday the Premier League champions followed the glory of their title win last season by beckoning one hell of a deluge in the opening match of the defence of their crown.
After a summer of discontent, speculation about the future of manager Antonio Conte, disquiet about the sale of Nemanja Matic to Manchester United, an ugly wrangle with Diego Costa, the departure of John Terry and a perceived shortfall in signings, Chelsea chose a spectacular way to implode at Stamford Bridge.
They had their new captain, Gary Cahill, sent off in the 14th minute and were reduced to nine men late in the second half when Cesc Fabregas was also dismissed. In between they had shipped three goals to a team who only won once away in the league during the entirety of last season.
With 10 men, and then with nine, Chelsea did at least mount a stirring attempt to claw their way back into the game and if there was any cause for optimism, it was in the substitute performance of Alvaro Morata, who scored one and made one on his debut.
Even Morata’s display was not without a stain, though. He was offside when he prodded in a goalbound effort from young Danish substitute Andreas Christensen. If he had not touched it, Chelsea might at least have salvaged a point from this sorry debacle.
That does not alter the fact that Chelsea gave the impression of being a side in disarray. Conte’s teamsheet looked like an angry message to the Chelsea board about failures in recruitment, even if he has spent £126million in the last couple of months. The bench was packed with the kind of names Danny Rose would have had to Google and the young Ivory Coast midfielder, Jeremie Boga, was handed a debut. It did not last long.
On the sideline, Conte, who has unloaded promising youngsters Nathaniel Chalobah, Nathan Ake and Kurt Zouma, looked a man wishing he had had the courage of his convictions and quit in the summer.
‘I want to win, not send a message,’ he said of his team selection later, but he is now the bookmakers’ favourite to be the first Premier League manager to leave his club this season. It was only one game but the manner of Chelsea’s defeat spoke of a club where all is not well.
It all seemed like a curious way to build on a title victory. This has happened before, of course. Chelsea have won the title five times in the Roman Abramovich era and only retained it once. The last time they won it under Jose Mourinho, they finished 10th the next season and the Portuguese was sacked.
When Carlo Ancelotti won the title in 2010, he finished the next season second and was sacked in a corridor at Goodison Park after the final match of the campaign.
This was only the first game of their latest title defence, but Chelsea’s season has been born under a bad sign.
Pedro and Eden Hazard, who are both injured, brought the Premier League trophy out on to the pitch before the game. They were met with polite applause but there was an air of trepidation.
Much has changed over the summer. Terry may only have been a bit-part player last season but he was a symbol of continuity and loyalty. Even though the sign that acclaims him ‘Captain, Leader, Legend’ still hangs from the upper tier of the Matthew Harding Stand, his absence is felt by the fans.
There was no Costa, either. His whereabouts are unknown and his position is said to be the subject of a ‘legal process’, which makes him sound like a fugitive. It is almost certain he will move to Atletico Madrid before the end of the month.
For all his awkwardness, Costa was a crucial part of this Chelsea side. His cussedness and his indomitability, not to mention his ability in front of goal, softened up opposing defences and made gaps for the flair players. Morata, who came off the bench after an hour, is a very different kind of striker but, still, he has big boots to fill.
Chelsea had not lost on the opening day of the season since 1998 but their troubles off the pitch did not take long to transfer to the action. They appeared most obviously in a lack of discipline. Marcos Alonso was booked very early for a high and late tackle on Matt Lowton and Cahill was sent off soon after.
The Chelsea skipper, whose image adorned the front of the programme, overran the ball in midfield and lunged forward to try to recover it, catching Steven Defour. It was not malicious but it was a poor tackle and referee Craig Pawson immediately brandished a red card.
Poor Boga. He was the first victim of the reorganisation when he was substituted for Christensen. His debut lasted 16 minutes. Maybe he will reflect that he was lucky to have missed what happened next. Chelsea collapsed. Even though they were reduced to 10 men, the manner of their capitulation was startling. The first blow came 10 minutes after Cahill’s dismissal when Sam Vokes helped on a Lowton cross with the inside of his right boot. It took a slight deflection off David Luiz and sneaked past Thibaut Courtois into the corner.
Chelsea did not seem to have any idea of how to get back into the game or stem the Burnley tide. Too often, they resorted to aimless long balls that the Burnley defence dealt easily with. Michy Batshuayi, starting ahead of Morata, was invisible except when his control was so poor it prompted groans from the crowd.
Burnley deserve plenty of credit. For a start, it is worth mentioning that they have not yet replaced Michael Keane, who was sold to Everton for £25m. ‘We’ve only spent three quid,’ the Burnley fans sang gleefully as they battered
Chelsea into submission in the opening 45 minutes.
Vokes bullied Luiz out of his rhythm and Defour and Jack Cork were superb in the centre of midfield. It was no more than they deserved when they extended their lead six minutes before half-time.
It was a peach of a goal, too. Stephen Ward played a one-two with Cork on the left side of the Chelsea area and then unleashed a stunning left-foot volley that flew beyond the despairing dive of Chelsea’s goalkeeper.
Four minutes later, things started to appear faintly surreal when Burnley went 3-0 up. This time, Defour’s cross found Vokes totally unmarked and he flicked his header past Courtois. It was another fine goal but Chelsea’s defending was shambolic.
Chelsea came close to scoring after an hour when Alonso curled a free kick over the Burnley wall but Tom Heaton tipped it acrobatically over the crossbar. The home crowd grew increasingly fractious as the clock ticked down and the goal did not come. Mr Pawson, inevitably, was singled out for abuse.
But eventually, the goal did come. There were 21 minutes left when Willian curled in a delicious ball from the right and Morata, who had only been on the pitch for 10 minutes, flung himself forwards to glance the ball into the corner of Heaton’s net.
The revival did not last long. Chelsea threatened Burnley’s goal briefly and N’Golo Kante bent a shot wide but it was hardly a siege. The momentum was lost eight minutes from time when Fabregas was sent off for a second bookable offence, a lunging foul on Cork.
Luiz still managed to set up a tense ending, firing in a fine volley after a terrific headed assist from Morata, with two minutes of normal time left, but Robbie Brady hit the post for Burnley from a free kick and an equaliser remained one step beyond the champions.