Nine-man Chelsea fell to a shock 3-2 home defeat against Burnley as their Premier League title defence began with a stunning upset.
Captain Gary Cahill was sent off after just 14 minutes for a challenge on Steven Defour, but that was just the start of the astonishing drama at Stamford Bridge.
Sam Vokes starred for Burnley with two of his side’s three goals before half-time, Stephen Ward also netting in between the Wales striker’s double.
In-form Vokes now has seven goals in his last six Premier League appearances after netting only five in the previous 58.
Antonio Conte gave Alvaro Morata 31 minutes from the substitutes’ bench on his Premier League debut and he scored with a header.
[irp]
Any hopes of a recovery were dented when Cesc Fabregas was sent off after collecting a second booking late on, although David Luiz did set up a grandstand finish with a powerful volley to make it 3-2 with two minutes left. Robbie Brady then hit the post at the opposite end from a free-kick as Burnley pushed for a fourth.
The unexpected result is Chelsea’s first opening-day defeat for 19 years and only the second time the Premier League’s defending champions have lost their first game in 26 years.
This article originally ran on Goal.com
Stay Connected , follow us on: Facebook: @creebhillsdotcom, Twitter: @creebhillsblog, Instagram: @creebhills, Pinterest: @creebhills Telegram: creebhills
To place an advert/sponsored post on our site, contact us via [email protected]
