Chelsea Draw With Burnley After Early Lead; Rosenior Questions Performance

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Chelsea dropped more valuable home points in the Premier League after a 1-1 draw with Burnley, conceding deep into stoppage time and extending a worrying season trend of letting winning positions slip at Stamford Bridge.

The match saw Chelsea move in front after just four minutes through Joao Pedro, yet the team again failed to close out a game. Burnley then grew into the contest, especially once Wesley Fofana was dismissed late on for a second yellow card.

That single point means Chelsea have now surrendered 17 points from winning positions at home in this Premier League campaign. Only in the 1995-96 season, when 20 such points were lost, have Chelsea allowed more at Stamford Bridge during one league season.

The late damage arrived in the third minute of added time. Zian Flemming escaped Andrey Santos inside the penalty area and guided a precise header beyond Robert Sanchez from a James Ward-Prowse corner, marking the 12th set-piece goal conceded by Chelsea in the league this season.

Burnley almost turned one point into three. In the 96th minute Jacob Bruun Larsen met a cross but sent a close-range header over the bar. That chance left Flemming reflecting on an opportunity that slipped away despite Burnley’s late surge with the extra player.

Liam Rosenior expressed frustration with Chelsea’s inability to manage games, especially after also losing a two-goal lead in a 2-2 home draw against Leeds United in the previous Premier League fixture. That result added to a pattern of dropped advantages in front of Chelsea supporters.

Rosenior made clear that responsibility did not sit on Wesley Fofana alone, despite the red card shifting momentum. "The result wasn't on Wesley, that was on our performance. From the first goal, we lacked decision. I wanted us to create wave after wave of attack. We were too safe in possession," said Rosenior.

Rosenior then underlined the wider damage to Chelsea’s campaign. "For me, we've set fire to four points in two games. It's not good enough. There's an inquest after every game, win or lose. I felt the general play, the second-half performance, was miles better than the first half. We didn't make the right decision for the moments we created, and we didn't finish the game off and left ourselves open."

The head coach also addressed defensive responsibilities and standards. "I'm accountable for every result and performance we have. We need to have players we can rely on to do their job. Our record of defending set plays this season is not at the level. A marking assignment was missed, it was not done. I'm not here to throw players under the bus. There was a player we assigned the duty [of marking Flemming] who marked the wrong player."

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Chelsea Premier League setback and Burnley survival hopes

On the Burnley side, Flemming admitted to mixed feelings after the result. "It's a really good result and you would take it before the game. But with the game ending against 10 men, I feel some disappointment now," Flemming told Sky Sports.

Flemming explained the conflicting emotions further. "It sounds weird that I am disappointed with a point at Chelsea, but we need wins. As soon as we got to 1-1 we decided to go all in for the three points. To get so close, we can still be proud, but it is a bit of mixed feelings."

The forward also assessed Burnley’s fight against relegation. "Everyone knows that the gap [to safety] is massive if you look at the table. But, of course, we can [stay up]. It is not going to be easy, we know we need a miracle or something extraordinary. We are trying now to put in an extraordinary input to try and get and extraordinary outcome."

The draw leaves Chelsea still searching for control in Premier League home matches, with set-piece frailties and game management under scrutiny, while Burnley gain another point yet remain under pressure, needing wins to turn determination into survival.