Chelsea Vs Burnley: Rosenior says Chelsea 'set fire to points' after 1-1 draw
chelsea vs burnley finished 1-1 after Burnley struck a 93rd‑minute equaliser at Stamford Bridge, a result that manager Liam Rosenior said left his side having “set fire to four points” and which underlined Chelsea’s worsening disciplinary record.
Chelsea Vs Burnley: late equaliser and a costly red card
Joao Pedro opened the scoring for Chelsea, but Wesley Fofana was dismissed in the 72nd minute, and Burnley’s 93rd‑minute leveller denied the Blues all three points. Rosenior said the red card ultimately led to Chelsea’s subsequent collapse after Pedro’s opener. The draw followed a 2-2 home draw with Leeds in Chelsea’s previous league match.
Rosenior’s reaction and the club’s disciplinary slide
Rosenior said he has inherited many of the problems that afflicted Enzo Maresca’s side before him, and that he is “learning about the players” and “learning about the people you can lean on when things aren't going your way and you need to see a game out. ” He added that a marking assignment had been missed in the build-up to Burnley’s equaliser and said: "I'm not here to throw players under the bus - I will always protect my players, and I'll deal with it during the week. "
Chelsea now have a league‑high six red cards this term after Fofana’s dismissal, equalling their highest number of red cards in a single Premier League season (the 2007-08 campaign) with 11 games still to play. Fofana had been booked for fouls on Hannibal Mejbri and James Ward‑Prowse.
The club have dropped 17 points at home this season, sit bottom of the Fair Play table with 86 points and have received 60 yellow cards. The report notes the squad has not fielded a player over the age of 28 all season and is the youngest in the Premier League, a profile deliberately built by the hierarchy.
Confirmed Chelsea lineup and bench changes
Rosenior made five changes to his starting XI for the Premier League clash with Burnley; the side had made seven alterations for the FA Cup win over Hull City the previous week. Robert Sanchez started in goal behind a back four of captain Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah and Malo Gusto, with Marc Cucurella missing out through injury.
The midfield duo of Moises Caicedo and Andrey Santos continued, with Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez in advanced roles behind Joao Pedro.
Chelsea: Sanchez; James (c), Fofana, Chalobah, Gusto; Caicedo, Santos; Neto, Palmer, Fernandez; Joao Pedro
Substitutes: Slonina, Acheampong, Tosin, Sarr, Hato, Lavia, Garnacho, Delap, Guiu
Rosenior named a strong bench that included Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap and Marc Guiu, and Romeo Lavia was named in a matchday squad for the first time since November 1 after the midfielder returned to action for Chelsea Under-21s yesterday.
Burnley lineup and match context
Burnley started with Nicklas Dúbravka in goal and a backline of Laurent, Esteve, Worrell and Walker. Their midfield featured Ugochukwu, Hannibal and Humphreys, with Edwards, Anthony and Zian Flemming leading the attack.
Burnley: Dubravka; Laurent, Esteve, Worrell, Walker; Ugochukwu, Hannibal, Humphreys; Edwards, Anthony, Flemming.
Substitutes: Weiss, Hartman, Ekdal, Pires, Luis, Ward-Prowse, Bruun Larsen, Tchaouna, Barnes.
Rosenior flagged specific frustration that Flemming had been given a free header in the centre of Chelsea’s box, and that Burnley substitute Jacob Bruun Larsen missed a similar chance minutes later.
Wider Premier League notes and reactions
Man City beat Newcastle to move within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal, with Nico O'Reilly scoring twice either side of a Lewis Hall equaliser in that match. A separate report noted Brentford 0-2 Brighton and that James Milner broke the top‑flight appearance record.
Other match reports listed Chelsea 1-1 Burnley, Aston Villa 1-1 Leeds and West Ham 0-0 Bournemouth. Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott said that young players want to play anywhere and that being trusted in the right position builds confidence, calling it easy to recognise when a player is becoming undroppable after strong performances.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola described the result as “massive, ” praised the crowd as the best of the year and said the team would rest for three days before their next game against Leeds. Guardiola highlighted Newcastle’s physicality and pace since the Saudi Arabia takeover, recalled their 5-0 half‑time lead in a Champions League match, and praised Nico O'Reilly’s physical contribution in midfield. He also said that without Erling Haaland the performance would not have been possible.
“This is all for this live text today but we'll be back for four more important Premier League games. That north London derby could be a cracker, ” the live coverage concluded.
Chelsea will head back to training to address marking and discipline; elsewhere in the league, Manchester City will rest for three days before facing Leeds, and Arsenal are set to play north London rivals Tottenham on Sunday.
