THE CLOCKS go forward an hour tonight and everyone loses an hour in bed as a result.
But don’t be surprised if Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino does not sleep at all.
His team twice blew the lead against ten men of a team rapidly heading towards relegation, who also had their manager sent off before half time.
Yet again Cole Palmer was their star man, scoring the first half penalty and second half cracker which should have been enough for victory.
But yet again Pochettino’s players failed to hold their nerve and in fact were lucky to come away with any points at all by the end.
Jay Ridriguez was centimetres away from capping an amazing Clarets comeback when he smacked the bar with a header in the dying minutes that would have turned dissent into disaster for Pochettino.
It should be the easiest job in the world picking from a squad worth £1 billion every week.
But at every turn, the most expensive bunch of players in the world make life hard for themselves, for him and the long-suffering fans.
Luckily, Palmer was passed fit to play after picking up a knock on England duty this past fortnight.
His calm from the penalty spot and assured finish 12 minutes from time was a marked contrast to the rest of the performance.
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The fans did their best to present a united front after the widespread unrest at the last game – a 4-2 FA Cup win over Leicester
But having seen their team frustrate and flop there was another loud chorus of boos at the final whistle.
Burnley rocked up at Stamford Bridge with only two Premier League away wins to their name this season.
They are still five points from safety with only eight games to go. It will take a managerial genius to turn around those kinds of statistics to keep them in the Premier League.
So it was no surprise that the home side started racking up the chances from the off with Fernandez drawing a fingertip save from Burnley keeper Arijanet Muric on ten minutes.
Palmer had a goalbound shot blocked by Dara O’Shea and Nicolas Jackson was denied a cracking goal by Muric’s outstretched leg at close range – all within the first 20 minutes.
In return, Burnley tested Djordje Petrovic with a wicked curling shot from the left flank in a scare.
But it all kicked off in the last five minutes of the first half.
Mykhailo Mudryk, fresh from scoring the goal in midweek that put Ukraine into the Euro 2024 finals, was shoved to the ground from behind by Lorenz Assignon as he homed in on goal.
Ref Darren England pointed to the spot. And with Assignon already booked for a foul on Mudryk, he was sent off.
Burnley boss Vincent Kompany was apoplectic with the decision and let fourth official James Bell know it.
He quickly followed his full back down the tunnel as Burnley’s second dismissal within four and a half mad minutes.
After a lengthy VAR check, Cole Palmer stepped up and chipped a cheeky shot into the net to give Chelsea the lead heading into seven minutes of added time.
Chelsea had already had an Axel Disasi goal disallowed for handball via VAR.
But just two minutes into the second half and ten man Burnley levelled.
Half time sub Josh Brownhill, with one of his first touches of the game, combined with his captain Josh Cullen.
The midfielder then curled a cracking shot with the outside of his right boot from just outside the box and past Petrovic to get Burnley back into the game with his first Premier League goal.
Cullen was then involved when he crossed in the 57th minute for Lyle Foster to force a one-handed save from Petrovic with a powerful header as Chelsea were rocked.
It was only Benoit Badiashile’s handily placed thigh that blocked Foster’s follow up effort in the six yard box.
Palmer has been Chelsea’s best signing this season and as well as his accuracy from the spot is not bad in open play.
He restored his team’s lead with his second of the game with 12 minutes to go when picked out by a clever flick of the heel by Raheem Sterling.
Palmer raced through and buried his shot from 15 yards and victory looked certain.
But just three minutes later Burnley pounced again with centre back Dara O’Shea losing his marker at a corner and driving into the box to power home a header and claim a second equaliser for his team and keep them fighting for survival at least.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
