Chelsea capitulated in the first half against Burnley at Stamford Bridge in their Premier League season opener on Saturday, falling to a 3-2 defeat.
The afternoon started miserably for the champions as Gary Cahill was sent off after just 14 minutes, with Burnley racing into a 3-0 lead before half-time.
SEE MORE:
(Video) Chelsea captain gets destroyed by fans, sent off after 14 minutes
(Video) Alvaro Morata goal: Debut goal for Chelsea star, must-see assist from Willian
Tottenham delighted as severely depleted Chelsea set for Wembley showdown
It looked to be getting even worse after Cesc Fabregas was sent off, but goals from Alvaro Morata and David Luiz led to a late onslaught as they threatened to launch a most unlikely comeback.
Ultimately though, Antonio Conte’s side fell short and start the new campaign with a defeat, and the Chelsea boss will be bitterly disappointed with how the game unfolded.
Cahill gets a severely low mark from us after his foolish tackle left Chelsea with it all to do so early on in the game and proved really costly, albeit some will argue that it was perhaps a little harsh even though it was very reckless.
The entire Chelsea backline struggled, but there was one positive to take from the game and that was Morata’s impact after he came off the bench. The Spaniard bagged himself his first goal for the club, while also looking threatening thereafter and much more will be expected of him this season.
Chelsea-Burnley player ratings:
Chelsea: Courtois 5; Rudiger 5, Luiz 5, Cahill 1; Azpilicueta 5, Kante 6, Fabregas 5, Alonso 6; Willian 6, Boga 5, Batshuayi 5.
Subs: Christensen 5, Morata 8, Musonda 5.
Burnley: Heaton 7; Lowton 8, Tarkowski 7, Mee 7, Ward 9; Defour 7, Cork 8, Gudmundsson 6, Hendrick 7, Brady 7; Vokes 9.
Subs: Walters 6, Arfield 6.