Chelsea took its time finding its finishing touch at Turf Moor but had it academic early in the second half as an eight-minute outburst led the Blues to a 4-0 win over the Clarets on Saturday.
Kai Havertz scored twice, one set up by fellow scorer Christian Pulisic and the other by opening scorer Reece James as Chelsea turned a halftime stalemate into a three-goal cushion by the 55th minute.
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The Blues move onto 53 points, six more than Manchester United with one fewer match played than the fourth-place Red Devils.
Burnley fails to climb out of the bottom three with its second loss of the week, its 21 points still one behind Everton.
Burnley vs Chelsea final score, stats
Burnley 0-4 Chelsea
Goals scored: James (47'), Havertz (52', 55'), Pulisic (69')
Shots: Burnley 6, Chelsea 11
Shots on target: Burnley 1, Chelsea 5
Possession: Burnley 27, Chelsea 73
Three things we learned from Burnley vs Chelsea
1. Refreshed Havertz shines with Pulisic: Unused in three matches after scoring against Lille in the UCL, Havertz delivered a pair of goals at Turf Moor and showed that his growing chemistry with the American playmaker. There was a certain connection between Pulisic and former Chelsea big man Olivier Giroud, and the fits and starts of Havertz’s early days -- with huge European highs and some serious lows -- can find consistency, the Blues are going to find a new gear.
2. Burnley’s dam explodes: Strong in the first half but ceding 77 percent of the ball to Burnley, you could see the color training from the Clarets after Reece James’ fantastic goal made it 1-0. If you left the room and your coffee took too long to brew, you would’ve missed the onslaught that made the final 35 minutes of this game purely academic. Burnley will have to find another opportunity to climb out of the bottom three, though surely they weren’t really expecting this to be the day, rather merely hoping for it.
3. Pulisic has a day: Christian Pulisic had a terrific Champions League outing against Lille and has kept getting starts for Thomas Tuchel, and Saturday’s match was another solid outing for the American. Yes, his goal was a gift, but he was drifting all over the pitch with freedom to attack from either side, and his drifted cross for a drifting Havertz was truly beautiful. The man who scored his first three Premier League goals at Turf Moor in a hat trick performance will have a model of the stadium in his memory palace after this one.
⚽️🅰️🇺🇸 Goal + assist for #USMNT's Christian Pulisic today, as he puts Chelsea 4-0 up at Burnley.
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) March 5, 2022
My word, he loves playing for #CFC v Burnley/Crystal Palace.
Pulisic looking sharp, which is great news for U.S. fans ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.pic.twitter.com/YzYdKxyaQK
Man of the Match: Reece James - There was the goal and the assist, plus winning 75 percent of his eight duels and drawing two fouls. Fine work from the English wingback.
James dances to opener
As we said in our Man of the Match description, Reece James remains a bottle of excitement.
[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]
Havertz, Pulisic do it really well
This cross from Pulisic was delightful, but so was Havertz’s cool waltz away from his mark to read his teammate’s desire like a children’s book.