Chelsea drew 1-1 at home with Burnley at Saturday as the Blues were pegged back by battling Burnley at Stamford Bridge.
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Branislav Ivanovic gave Chelsea a first half lead but the home side imploded in the second half as Nemanja Matic was sent off and then Ben Mee headed home a late equalizer to stun Stamford Bridge.
[ RELATED: Mourinho agitated by decisions ]
With the draw Chelsea could see their lead at the top of the Premier League table cut to just five points over Manchester City, while Burnley keep battling and are on 22 points in 18th place.
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After a tentative start at the Bridge, Chelsea went ahead in the 14th minute as Eden Hazard wriggled free on the right side of the box and pulled it back for Ivanovic to tap home. 1-0 to Chelsea, as the Serbian right back continued his tremendous goalscoring form with his fourth in six games.
Chelsea should have had a penalty soon after as that man Ivanovic unleashed another shot and Michael Kightly looked to have blocked the shot in the box with his hand but referee Martin Atkinson waved away the penalty shouts. Before half time Mourinho was apoplectic with rage as Costa went clean through on goal and appeared to be hauled down by Jason Shackell, but Atkinson again waved away penalty calls.
In the second half Burnley started brightly as a ball to the back post found Ashley Barners but Thibaut Courtois thwarted the Englishman as the Clarets were edging their way back into the match. Costa then came close to sealing the game for the home side in the 58th minute but the Spaniard couldn’t convert Ivanovic’s cross at the near post as he flung his outstretched leg at the ball.
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Chelsea were then reduced to 10-men as Barnes made a lunging tackle on Matic which the Serbian midfielder took exception to and charged towards the Burnley forward before shoving him to the ground. No arguments, despite Barnes’ lunging tackle, as a straight red card was awarded and the Blues were down a man for the final stages.
That sending off was to prove costly as first Courtois saved superbly from Barnes but then from the resulting corner kick Mee climbed above Kurt Zouma and headed home to make it 1-1. Stamford Bridge was stunned into silence.
Late on Danny Ings went close and it was all Burnley but Chelsea hung on to seal a point. However Mr. Mourinho was far from happy.
LINEUPS
Chelsea: Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Filipe Luis (Drogba, 86'); Matic, Fabregas; Cuadrado (Willian, 63'), Oscar (Ramires, 72'), Hazard; Diego Costa
Goal: Ivanovic (13') Red card: Matic (74')
Burnley: Heaton; Trippier, Shackell, Keane, Mee; Boyd, Jones, Arfield, Kightly (Vokes, 79'); Barnes, Ings
Goal: Mee (81')