Raheem Sterling responded to his recent England squad snub with a performance of personality and poise to propel Chelsea to a third successive victory for the first time in seven months.
This trip to another of the Premier League’s improving sides was always going to be a challenge. Chelsea did not have everything their own way, falling behind to Wilson Odobert’s goal, but eventually registered a characterful win that will delight head coach, Mauricio Pochettino – their second on the road in the league in five days.
Sterling created the first two Chelsea goals – an Ameen Al Dakhil own goal and a Cole Palmer penalty – before finishing the third himself. Sterling also had a hand in Nicolas Jackson’s fourth as he delivered a clear message to Gareth Southgate that his omission from the squad to face Italy and Australia this month is a glaring one.
Had this match been scheduled a week earlier, perhaps the preamble would have been dominated by talk of pressure valves and how the respective men in the Turf Moor dugouts could release them. Instead, wins in the week for both sides had lifted the fog for Pochettino and Vincent Kompany. Something had to give here and in Sterling Pochettino possessed the trump card.
Time and time again the supercharged wideman drove at Burnley right-back Vitinho, who Kompany had to hook after an hour.
Yet after Sterling squandered the game’s first chance of note, curling wide from the edge of the box, Kompany’s charges hit their mark, momentarily quelling the visitors.
It was as if the early near-miss jolted a hitherto jittery home side into action. Turf Moor erupted when the electric Odobert capped a Clarets move that flowed like fine wine, Lyle Foster holding off Chelsea bodies to play in the 18-year-old Frenchman who finished neatly beyond Robert Sánchez after darting in from the left. It appeared to be classic 2023 Chelsea: early promise, dominance of possession and a genuine chance spurned by a big name. Until the tide turned.
At that early stage, it seemed a pattern had been established and it surely was not the one Pochettino envisaged on his pre-match tactics tablet. Odobert was an outlet on the left, teasing Marc Cucurella and forcing a yellow card from the Spaniard after 26 minutes. When Chelsea had it – which was most of the time – they were guilty of overplaying, with Armando Broja too often a passenger up front.
Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling wins the penalty that Cole Palmer would dispatch for a 2-1 lead. Photograph: Matt McNulty/Getty Images
Sterling was a lone crusader in the first half, the only one clad in blue who looked likely to storm Kompany’s castle. He forced a smart James Trafford stop at the near post and continued to twist Vitinho into knots.
When the equaliser came, it was inevitable Sterling would have a say. He raided up the left once more and his cross cannoned off Al Dakhil, ballooned over Trafford and rested neatly in the net. It was fortunate and felt apt that Chelsea were gifted the goal without having to test Trafford – given they’d done that so seldom in the previous 42 minutes.
Pochettino had to make changes and did so without hesitation, ushering on Jackson for the ineffectual Broja at half-time, as his players asserted their superiority in the second half.
Sterling was tripped just inside the box by the beleaguered Vintinho and once VAR had confirmed as such, the ice-cold Palmer rolled the penalty past his former City teammate Trafford.
The quality on offer to Pochettino was making the difference and when it clicked a chasm opened between the teams. Sterling deservedly etched his name onto the scoresheet after 65 minutes, as a cheap concession in the Burnley midfield allowed Moisés Caicedo to release Conor Gallagher, who played in his fellow countryman. In this mood, he was simply never going to miss.
Another trademark trip down the left from Sterling brought the fourth, after a cutback to Palmer at the far post. The youngster laid off to Jackson who spun on a sixpence and sat down his markers, cutely sliding in. With that the game was won and Sterling – who had been recalled by Pochettino after starting two games on the bench – was subbed off to a hero’s ovation.
