Ziyech, Kante 9/10 as Chelsea complete convincing win

Chelsea continued their fine run of form with a dominant 3-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon. Hakim Ziyech’s strike opened the scoring for Lampard’s men with Kurt Zouma and Timo Werner adding to the total in what proved to be a Blues masterclass in Lancashire.

— Burnley 0, Chelsea 3: Ziyech scores first goal for Blues

Positives

The relentless nature of Chelsea’s threat in the final third was on full display here, and when you consider the fact that their defensive performance was equally as impressive, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the boys from London. They didn’t take any unnecessary risks, they executed their game plan brilliantly and it finally felt as if there was substantial communication and cohesion within the team.

Negatives

On occasion, there were gaps just beyond the half way line that would’ve been exploited by more explosive opposition and in the first half, there was a lack of killer instinct that could’ve put the visitors out of sight before the break. Even when they were 1-0 up in the second half, they weren’t particularly eager to fight for the second ball; in that sense, they were let off the hook ever so slightly.

Manager rating out of 10

8 — Frank Lampard made a clear statement by putting forward an attacking starting XI that rarely let their foot off of the gas. He maintained his trust in that line-up for a large portion of the game and despite being unlucky with Pulisic’s injury in the warm-up, this was the sort of balanced performance that many have been searching for from his Chelsea side.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Edouard Mendy, 7 — After coming to the rescue in the 5th minute from a dangerous Barnes attack, Mendy didn’t have much to do in another solid outing.

DF Reece James, 9 — The young full-back was confident in both halves of the pitch, produced great cross after great cross and played a key role in Chelsea’s third goal of the game.

DF Thiago Silva, 8 — The veteran excelled in calming down the pace whenever required to do so and didn’t put a foot wrong from the first minute until the last.

DF Kurt Zouma, 8 — Was fortunate not to suffer after being caught in possession in the 22nd minute, but overall, Zouma’s physical display was improved only by his powerful header to make it 2-0.

DF Ben Chilwell, 7 — Came across as one of the calmest players on the pitch, although his distribution sometimes left a lot to be desired.

MF Mason Mount, 8 — Caused so much danger for Burnley when bouncing off of the three forwards with his improved durability being matched by a fantastic ability to switch the ball from pillar to post.

MF N’Golo Kante, 9 — Covered a huge amount of ground and wasn’t afraid to put the hosts under significant pressure if it meant retaining possession.

MF Kai Havertz, 7 — Always looks as light as a feather with his passing and movement, constantly giving Chelsea an extra dynamic in the process.

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FW Hakim Ziyech, 9 — In addition to how well he comes onto the ball, Ziyech opens his body up with ease and deserved both his well-taken goal and assist.

FW Timo Werner, 7 — Fnally got the goal his work-ethic deserved in a well taken 70th-minute finish.

FW Tammy Abraham, 7 — The academy star was happy to sit deep and be a team player, which was highlighted when he laid the ball off nicely for the opening goal.

Substitutes

MF Jorginho, NR — Kept the tempo flowing and assisted in running down the minutes en-route to another away win.

MF Callum Hudson-Odoi, NR — Looked active and ready to create chances even when the game was out of sight for Chelsea.

FW Olivier Giroud, NR — Was unlucky not to cap his cameo off with a goal after poking home in the 80th minute.