Burnley v Chelsea player ratings
Christian Pulisic’s stunning hat-trick helped Chelsea earn a thumping away win over Burnley despite a late fightback by the home side. Here’s how we rated each Blues player in the 4-2 victory at Turf Moor.
Kepa Arrizabalaga: 6
A decent reflex stop in the first half aside, Kepa had little to save. He will be upset to be beaten by Jay Rodiguez’s dipping long-range strike but could do nothing about Dwight McNeil’s deflected effort. His distribution was sound.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7
Had his work cut out dealing with the pace of McNeil early on but won the battle and was typically aggressive and willing to help out in attack.
Fikayo Tomori: 8
Another fine performance by Tomori, who is without doubt the first-choice centre-half. His confidence has grown immeasurably from his early displays in a Chelsea shirt. A wonderful recovering tackle in the second period stood out in a fine showing.
Kurt Zouma: 6
He was vital to the predictable Burnley aerial threat, winning countless headers, but was not entirely convincing with the ball at his feet.
Marcos Alonso: 6
A no-frills display from the Spaniard, who went about his work steadily at both ends of the pitch.
Jorginho: 8
Excellent once again, Jorginho dominated the midfield alongside the equally stylish Mateo Kovacic. He barely wasted possession, always mixed up his passing and provided cover for the back four with his clever positioning and peerless ability to read the game.
Mateo Kovacic: 8
See Jorginho. Dependable in defence and sharp in attack, Kovacic played a vital role in laying the platform for a dominant win.
Mason Mount: 7
Was always involved and a tireless runner in front of Jorginho and Kovacic. He supported Tammy Abraham, closed down throughout and teed up Pulisic’s third goal with a brilliant cross.
Willian: 7
The Brazilian was more effective defensively than in attack, where he was guilty of giving the ball away cheaply on several occasions. However, once again, his work-rate stood out – and he took his goal superbly.
Christian Pulisic: 9
A first career hat-trick was a fitting reward for a complete performance. The American could have had four by the break, but added to two well-taken first-half strikes with an astute header. Pulisic stayed patient while left out and responded in perfect fashion on his return with a selfless, energetic and confident performance to match his fine finishing.
Tammy Abraham: 7
Chelsea’s top scorer barely had a sniff in front of goal, but he remained a good focal point and contributed to a fine team victory with some smart closing down and an ever-improving ability to retain possession.
Reece James: 7
He came on with just over 30 minutes remaining and almost immediately made two goal-saving blocks before settling in impressively on the right flank.
Olivier Giroud: 6
The Frenchman had little time to make an impression after coming on late on and saw little of the ball, but still showed his experience with some decent hold-up play.
Callum-Hudson-Odoi: 7
He was harshly booked for a a dive, when the winger seemed to have little choice but to go down as he cut inside at pace and was sharp and direct in an encouraging cameo.
