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Premier League
Feb 21, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
BL

1-1

Ivanovic (14')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Mee (81')

Player Ratings: Chelsea 1-1 Burnley

:Headline: Player Ratings: Chelsea 1-1 Burnley: ID:206719: from db_amp
Sports Mole analyses the performances of those involved in Chelsea's 1-1 draw at home to Burnley in the Premier League.

Chelsea missed the chance to move 10 points clear of second-placed Manchester City in the Premier League title race after being held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley.

Branislav Ivanovic fired the Blues into a 1-0 half-time lead at Stamford Bridge, but a red card for Nemanja Matic on 70 minutes aided the Clarets on the comeback trail.

Sean Dyche's side then grabbed a timely equaliser on 81 minutes to earn a hard-fought point in their battle against relegation.

Here, Sports Mole analyses how the players fared in West London.



CHELSEA

Goal

Thibaut Courtois: Spared Chelsea's blushes on a number of occasions by making a couple of fine saves to keep out Barnes, with the second save particularly impressive. (7/10)

Defence

Branislav Ivanovic: Opened the scoring with what was his 30th Chelsea goal and regularly looked a menace in the final third. Not really tested defensively. (6/10)

Kurt Zouma: Looked calm and assured here again after displacing Gary Cahill in the first XI. Would be unlucky to be dropped for next week's League Cup final. (6/10)

John Terry: Barley afforded in-form Ings a sniff at goal throughout the 90 minutes, but did lose him late on for a chance that the striker missed. (5/10)

Felipe Luis: Rendered Boyd little more than a spectator and also coped well with the adventurous Trippier, but could have perhaps got forward a little more than he did. (6/10)

Midfield

Nemanja Matic: Looked his usual brilliant best until 70 minutes, when he was sent off for losing his head and pushing Barnes to the ground. Would not be unfair to suggest that he cost Chelsea the win. (4/10)

Cesc Fabregas: Used the ball well as per usual, but Chelsea's forward players could have done with a little more penetrative service from the Spaniard this afternoon. (5/10)

Oscar: Buzzed around Chelsea's final third to little effect. Like a number of his teammates, the Brazilian was nowhere near his best today. (4/10)

Juan Cuadrado: At times, the January signing looked like he has been playing with this team for years, but he slowly declined as the game went on. Subbed on the hour mark. (5/10)

Eden Hazard: Weaved his magic to set up Ivanovic with what was a beautiful assist, but moments like that were few and far between for the Belgian this afternoon. (5/10)

Attack

Diego Costa: Only had one clear-cut chance in the 90 minutes and failed to really test Heaton with it. Nowhere near his best. (4/10)

Substitutes

Willian: Had about half an hour in which to have an impact after replacing Cuadrado, but it never happened for him. (4/10)

Ramires: Filled the void left by Matic, but found himself out-climbed by Mee for Burnley's equaliser. (4/10)

Didier Drogba: Late cameo which did not have the desired impact. (4/10)



BURNLEY

Goal

Tom Heaton: Not as busy as Courtois and only had one meaningful save to make in the second half, denying Costa smartly. Could do nothing about the goal. (6/10)

Defence

Kieran Trippier: Tried to get forward but regularly ran into a wall in the shape of Luis. Did okay defensively, though. (5/10)

Michael Keane: Negated the threat of Costa throughout the 90 minutes in a performance that will do the youngster's confidence the world of good. (7/10)

Jason Shackell: Looked solid at times, but really should have been penalised for pushing Costa over inside the box in one of two blatant penalties that Chelsea were denied. Did produce one or two goal-saving tackles, though. (7/10)

Ben Mee: Scored the all-important equaliser to make up for being beaten a little too easily by Hazard in the build-up to Ivanovic's first-half opener. (6/10)

Midfield

George Boyd: Never got into the game at all and perhaps should have been replaced when Burnley found themselves with a numerical advantage. Also picked up the game's first booking. (4/10)

Scott Arfield: Came into the game a little more when Matic was sent off, but not enough to influence the result. (4/10)

David Jones: Used the ball rather well in a very disciplined performance and shielded Burnley's defence. (6/10)

Michael Kightly: Could have perhaps got through more defensive work to combat Cuadrado and Ivanovic on Chelsea's right wing. Also fortunate not to concede a penalty after a blatant handball to block Ivanovic's shot. (4/10)

Attack

Ashley Barnes: Managed to outshine his strike partner and proved Burnley's biggest goal threat on the day with a few decent shots that tested Courtois. (6/10)

Danny Ings: Never looked like adding to his six goals in 2015 after being gobbled up by Terry at nearly every opportunity. Poor performance overall. (4/10)

Substitutes

Sam Vokes: Replaced Kightly on 79 minutes and injected a sense of urgency into Burnley's attack. Good cameo. (7/10)


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