Burnley forced 10 - man Chelsea to 1 - 1 draw at Stamford Bridge
Barclays Premier League strugglers Burnley earned a shock 1-1
draw at 10-man Chelsea thanks to Ben Mee's late header at Stamford
Bridge on Saturday.
Table-topping Chelsea had taken the lead inside the opening quarter of an hour through Branislav Ivanovic's fourth goal in six matches in all competitions, and they looked comfortable for large periods.
But Nemanja Matic was sent off with 20 minutes remaining for his reaction to a challenge from Ashley Barnes, a dismissal which will likely see the midfielder miss the upcoming League Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur.
Seemingly buoyed by that sending off, Burnley snatched an equaliser with nine minutes to go as Mee rose highest to head in Kieran Trippier's left-wing corner.
The visitors, who also came from behind to claim a 2-2 draw at Manchester City in late December, it represents another potentially important point in their fight against relegation.
Chelsea had the first sight of goal in the fifth minute when Tom Heaton tipped over Juan Cuadrado's header after a cross from Filipe Luis, called back into the side as one of four changes from their meeting with Paris Saint Germain in midweek.
The hosts were in front nine minutes later thanks to Ivanovic's close-range finish.
Michael Kightly was dispossessed by Cuadrado who fed Hazard, and the Belgian weaved his way to the byline before cutting the ball back for Ivanovic to convert from inside the six-yard box.
Ivanovic thought he should have had a penalty in the 32nd minute when his shot struck the arm of Kightly inside the area, but referee Martin Atkinson dismissed the claims.
Chelsea had a second penalty appeal turned down when spot-kick for a second time just before the interval when Burnley captain Jason Shackell pushed Diego Costa to the floor.
Thibaut Courtois was not called into serious action until five minutes into the second half, when he reacted smartly to tip Barnes' deflected shot over the crossbar.
Chelsea responded as Costa brought a save out of Heaton five minutes later, the Spain striker going in search of his 18th Barclays Premier League goal of the campaign.
In the 70th minute Barnes went over the top of the ball in a challenge on Matic, who pushed the striker to the floor and was shown a straight red card, while the Burnley man went unpunished.
Barnes thought he had found an equaliser 10 minutes later but Courtois produced a superb one-handed save low to his right.
But, from the resulting corner, Mee headed home to spark scenes of jubilation among Burnley players and fans alike.
Deep into stoppage time, Danny Ings broke away as Burnley looked to steal an unlikely winner, but the striker fired wired of the target from the edge of the area.
source : premierleague.com
Table-topping Chelsea had taken the lead inside the opening quarter of an hour through Branislav Ivanovic's fourth goal in six matches in all competitions, and they looked comfortable for large periods.
But Nemanja Matic was sent off with 20 minutes remaining for his reaction to a challenge from Ashley Barnes, a dismissal which will likely see the midfielder miss the upcoming League Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur.
Seemingly buoyed by that sending off, Burnley snatched an equaliser with nine minutes to go as Mee rose highest to head in Kieran Trippier's left-wing corner.
The visitors, who also came from behind to claim a 2-2 draw at Manchester City in late December, it represents another potentially important point in their fight against relegation.
Chelsea had the first sight of goal in the fifth minute when Tom Heaton tipped over Juan Cuadrado's header after a cross from Filipe Luis, called back into the side as one of four changes from their meeting with Paris Saint Germain in midweek.
The hosts were in front nine minutes later thanks to Ivanovic's close-range finish.
Michael Kightly was dispossessed by Cuadrado who fed Hazard, and the Belgian weaved his way to the byline before cutting the ball back for Ivanovic to convert from inside the six-yard box.
Ivanovic thought he should have had a penalty in the 32nd minute when his shot struck the arm of Kightly inside the area, but referee Martin Atkinson dismissed the claims.
Chelsea had a second penalty appeal turned down when spot-kick for a second time just before the interval when Burnley captain Jason Shackell pushed Diego Costa to the floor.
Thibaut Courtois was not called into serious action until five minutes into the second half, when he reacted smartly to tip Barnes' deflected shot over the crossbar.
Chelsea responded as Costa brought a save out of Heaton five minutes later, the Spain striker going in search of his 18th Barclays Premier League goal of the campaign.
In the 70th minute Barnes went over the top of the ball in a challenge on Matic, who pushed the striker to the floor and was shown a straight red card, while the Burnley man went unpunished.
Barnes thought he had found an equaliser 10 minutes later but Courtois produced a superb one-handed save low to his right.
But, from the resulting corner, Mee headed home to spark scenes of jubilation among Burnley players and fans alike.
Deep into stoppage time, Danny Ings broke away as Burnley looked to steal an unlikely winner, but the striker fired wired of the target from the edge of the area.
source : premierleague.com
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