Chelsea 3-0 Burnley: Abraham closes in on Lampard record as Blues end poor home run

Chelsea tightened their grip on fourth place with a 3-0 win over Burnley at Stamford Bridge.

Burnley put the Blues under a lot of pressure early in the first half and had a goal ruled out for offside which was just about confirmed by VAR.

Jorginho then gave Chelsea the lead from the penalty spot after Willian was fouled by Matthew Lowton and Tammy Abraham doubled the advantage before half-time.

Callum Hudson-Odoi added a third for Chelsea just after half-time, effectively ending any hopes of a Burnley comeback.

Abraham closes in on Lampard’s record: Key stats from Chelsea 3-0 Burnley…

• Jorginho has never missed a penalty for Chelsea in normal time.
• He scored his sixth from the spot vs Burnley after successfully converting against Huddersfield, Liverpool, Brighton and Ajax (twice).
• Tammy Abraham has scored 13 Premier League goals for Chelsea this season, with only Frank Lampard managing more in a single campaign doing so three times.
• He is also the first English player to score 15 goals across all competitions for Chelsea in a single season since Lampard (17) in 2012/13.
• Burnley have collected just one point in 11 Premier League games this season against teams currently in the top-half of the table.
• Chelsea went into half-time with a lead at Stamford Bridge for the first time since August 31 in the Premier League.
• Callum Hudson-Odoi scored his first Premier League goal in his 26th appearance in the competition.

Have Chelsea expelled their home hoodoo?

Chelsea went into this game off the back of a poor run of form at home. The Blues had lost three of their past four games at Stamford Bridge, having previously made their west London home a fortress.

All three of those defeats came against teams struggling for form in the bottom half of the table, so Chelsea fans may have been worried with Burnley visiting.

But, after overcoming a stuttering start when they were tested by Burnley, this was a confident performance from Chelsea. They grew after taking the lead and were playing with the freedom they have often been missing, resulting in more goals.

Chelsea’s three goals against Burnley on Saturday is one more than they had managed in their past four games and the Blues were unfortunate not to add to the tally. This potential return to form will be welcome at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea hosting Arsenal and Manchester United in their next two home games.

Next five fixtures

18 January 2020: Newcastle vs Chelsea (Premier League)

21 January 2020: Chelsea vs Arsenal (Premier League)

25 January 2020: Hull City vs Chelsea (FA Cup)

01 February 2020: Leicester vs Chelsea (Premier League)

17 February 2020: Chelsea vs Man Utd (Premier League)

Can Burnley stop the rot?

What next for Burnley? The Clarets are looking dangerously close to the relegation zone after a season of inconsistency.

Burnley’s 3-0 defeat to Chelsea was their fourth Premier League reverse in a row, following on from two wins and they now sit 15th in the table. They are still four points ahead the relegation zone but they could slip closer before the end of the weekend with three of the teams below them still to play.

Then there’s the tough fixture list ahead with Burnley set to face Leicester, Manchester United and Arsenal in their next three league games.

And, on Saturday’s performance it’s hard to see them getting anything positive from those matches. After a bright start Burnley’s heads dropped when Jorginho gave Chelsea the lead and they allowed the Blues far too much time and space on the ball.

Fingers must be pointed at Nick Pope for his poor attempt at saving Tammy Abraham’s header while Hudson-Odoi was also able to run unopposed at the back post to score Chelsea’s third, with Burnley’s defenders watching on.

Things weren’t much better at the other end of the pitch either as Chris Wood looked lost as a sole striker, missing his partner Ashley Barnes.

Next five fixtures

19 January 2020: Burnley vs Leicester (Premier League)

22 January 2020: Man Utd vs Burnley (Premier League)

25 January 2020: Burnley vs Norwich (FA Cup)

02 February 2020: Burnley vs Arsenal (Premier League)

15 February 2020: Southampton vs Burnley (Premier League)

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Player in focus: Tammy Abraham

Harry Kane’s injury is undoubtedly a blow to Tottenham Hotspur and England, but one man who could benefit from this is Tammy Abraham.

The Chelsea striker has enjoyed a good season and made his competitive England debut, tying his international future to the Three Lions but he always had Kane in front of him. But now, with Kane set to miss the March international break, Abraham could be in line for a start – and he’s doing his best to make himself hard for Gareth Southgate ignore.

Tammy Abraham is the first English player to reach 15 goals across all competitions for Chelsea in a single season since Frank Lampard (17) in 2012/13.

Learning from the best. 😉 pic.twitter.com/uVdcInCjEF

— Squawka (@Squawka) January 11, 2020

Abraham went into the game in poor goalscoring form with just one goal in his past six games, struggling alongside his Chelsea teammates. But this was Abraham back to his best and he got his 13th league goal of the season with an excellent header from Reece James’ cross, rising high and heading into the ground, deceiving Pope.

The one problem for Abraham will be that he’s currently fighting with Marcus Rashford for that central role, and the Manchester United man took his Premier League tally to 14 for the season with a brace against Norwich City.

The likes of James, Mason Mount and Hudson-Odoi were also brilliant showing just why Chelsea fans have been urging them to utilise their academy for years.

The rest of the day’s action

• Crystal Palace 1-1 Arsenal: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave Arsenal the lead but was later sent off for a bad tackle as Jordan Ayew earned Palace a point.
• Everton 1-0 Brighton: After losing against a weakened Liverpool side in the FA Cup, Everton returned to winning ways with Richarlison’s goal enough to beat Brighton.
• Leicester 1-2 Southampton: Danny Ings won the battle against Jamie Vardy to help Southampton avenge their humiliating 9-0 defeat earlier in the campaign.
• Man Utd 4-0 Norwich: United returned to fifth after a comprehensive win over bottom club Norwich with Rashford scoring twice.
• Wolves 1-1 Newcastle: Miguel Almiron scored again as an injury-hit Newcastle earned a point against high-flying Wolves.