Chelsea returned from the international break with a convincing 2-0 victory over Burnley, leaving supporters celebrating a dominant performance and a third straight clean sheet. Softfooball reports.
With key player Cole Palmer sidelined due to a broken toe suffered earlier this week while still recovering from a six-week injury, the Blues showed they can win games without relying on their star man. While Chelsea fans praised squad depth and tactical management, Burnley supporters were left frustrated by a collapse after a promising first half.
Chelsea Fans Praise Squad Depth and Santos’ Masterclass
Chelsea supporters were quick to hail Andre Santos for his midfield dominance in Caicedo’s absence.
@wole wrote:
Thank you Santos for not making me miss GENERAL CAICEDO. Thank you Gittens. Thank you Pedro Neto. Thank you Marc Cucurella. Thank you Marc Guiu — you made Delap look like sh*t in less than 10 mins on the pitch . Thank you Enzo Fernandez. Thank you the Master! Enzo Maresca!”
Fans were thrilled that Chelsea can now win games without Palmer. @king highlighted the squad’s evolving strength:
We’re no longer a one-man Palmer FC – we’re winning games without him and now bagging back-to-back clean sheets! Caicedo got a proper rest, so we’ve got a fully charged 100% Caicedo ready to run the show against Barça. KTBFFH.”
Chelsea’s official X handle confirmed Santos as player of the match, earning widespread praise for his monster midfield display, they posted:
Other fans celebrated the combination of goals, defense, and squad management. @cryptoFrank said:
Not our best game. 3 points more important. We have now scored the most goals this season. Now 2nd until later at least. Guiu needs more game time. Santos my MOTM.
@nyg_m summed up the key points:
Neto goal. Enzo goal. Santos masterclass. Sánchez clean sheet. Defensive toughness. Caicedo and Estêvão recharged. 3 points secured. 2nd in the table. WHAT A DAY TO BE A CHELSEA FAN .
Even more measured reflections came from @MarioBlues:
Not a great watch, but that was a huge 3 points! Andrey Santos deserved MOTM, he really stepped up in Caicedo’s absence. Maresca rested players & managed the squad well. Now onto Barca.
@Ronz emphasized mentality over opponent quality:
Big big win. It’s not about the quality of the opponent because no disrespect to Burnley but they are not Prem level. It’s about the mentality of the first game back after the international break with a midday kick off. Get in boys!
For @JeffBerzllos, the win highlighted Chelsea’s consistency:
Three points, third straight clean sheet. Up to second in the table — and able to give Caicedo a full rest, Reece James a half and didn’t need Estêvão to rescue the points. Santos was the best player on the pitch, what a performance. Onto Barcelona and Arsenal. #CFC.
After game, Chelsea via its official X handle, celebrated the three points and clean sheet kept by Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, softfoootball understands that the Chelsea goalie has his eyes set on the premier league golden gloves this season and with performances like this one today, the Chelsea no1 May Well be on his way to achieving it. They posted:
Burnley Fans Frustrated by Collapse
Burnley supporters were left disappointed as their team faltered after a promising start.
@LukeHolland noted:
Did fine for first 30 mins then just fell apart for the hour left of that game. Knew we wouldn’t beat Chelsea today. Beat teams in and around us, we should be fine with picking up the odd point here and there against mid-table teams.
@SeriousMatthan was scathing:
These players must be the most depressed in the EPL going into every game knowing they are worth nothing and will win nothing, not 1 or 3 points. At this point they just show up for formality and the pay check. A few show up hoping another team buys them. That’s the Burnley dream.
After the game ended, Burnley through its official X handle, thanked the Clarets for their incredible support at the turfmoore despite losing to Chelsea, the team will be hoping to bounce back in their next fixture. They posted:
Fans criticized the lack of pace and attacking threat. @YozzerHughes wrote:
Too slow, always too keen to go backwards, nothing in the middle of the park other than Fiorentino! Zilch upfront!
@Lou S focused on missed opportunities:
Very frustrating afternoon. Much the better side in the first half and when we are up we need to be scoring. Time to drop Antony and play Foster there from the start.
But let’s manager Scott Parker spoke to the press after the game in an exclusive video shared via the team’s official X handle, the manager explained what went wrong and how he expects his team to respond to today’s defeat. Watch his post match reaction below :
Chelsea now turn their focus to their first Champions League clash of the season against Barcelona. With Caicedo and Reece James rested and Andre Santos and the rest of the squad in good form, fans hope Maresca’s rotation and tactical management carry this momentum into Europe and the Premier League.
Burnley, meanwhile, must regroup and address both mentality and attacking creativity if they hope to compete and remain in the league.
