BURNLEY...1 CHELSEA..2
Blues dreams still alive
VICTOR MOSES kept Chelsea’s faint Champions League hopes alive at Turf Moor.
And the Blues’ first back-to-back league wins of 2018 dealt a blow to Burnley’s European dream.
This was a meeting between two sides seemingly heading for the Europa League, but with very different views about it.
It was almost fitting it was staged on a Thursday night, a taster of things to come for both it seems.
For Burnley, getting into Europe’s second-tier competition is an outstanding success for a side who were expected to be fighting the drop – and they should still secure it despite defeat last night.
But for last season’s title winners Chelsea, it will be a huge failure if they miss out on the top four and a place in the Champions League, which could cost boss Antonio Conte his job next month.
They needed a victory here to maintain any realistic hope of catching fourthplaced Tottenham. The gap is now five points with four games to go. But it’s still a daunting challenge. So surely an FA Cup win might be Conte’s best – if still slim – hope of holding on to his place in the hot seat.
With that in mind he made six changes from Saturday’s comeback win over Southampton ahead of their FA Cup semi-final with the Saints on Sunday. Eden Hazard and Willian watched from the bench as Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata started a game for the first time together since the France hitman arrived in January.
It was that pair who linked up in the 10th minute as Giroud’s flick played in Morata before the striker’s shot from a tight angle was turned away by keeper Nick Pope.
It was an early sign of a promising partnership but it was an own goal that got the Blues in front in the 20th minute.
Gary Cahill’s long ball over the top was latched onto by Moses and the Chelsea wide man got in behind Stephen Ward. His cross was then pushed onto Kevin Long by Pope and rebounded in.
Burnley were top of the form table before last night and they were searching for their sixth win on the bounce. It would have been the first time they had achieved such a feat since November 1968.
But Pope had to be alert as Giroud and Morata linked up again before the Clarets stopper closed down the latter.
Morata should have got the second soon after the restart when Matthew Lowton gave the ball away to N’Golo Kante and he sent the Spaniard racing in on goal.
But with just Pope to beat he put it wide of the post.
How costly that would prove to be, as in the 64th minute the Clarets were level.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s long-range effort was deflected home by Ashley Barnes and the Turf Moor crowd thought they were a step closer to European adventure.
But five minutes later, Emerson’s cross found Moses and he had time to control it before firing into the bottom corner. BURNLEY (4-4-2): Pope; Lowton, Long, Tarkowski, Ward; Lennon (Wells 87), Westwood, Cork, Gudmundsson; Barnes, Wood (Vokes 72). Subs: Heaton, Taylor, Marney, Hendrick, Bardsley. CHELSEA (3-4-1-2): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Rudiger; Moses, Kante, Bakayoko, Emerson (Zappacosta 84); Pedro; Giroud, Morata (Hazard 70). Subs: Caballero, Fabregas, Barkley, Willian, Christensen. Referee: Bobby Madley.