Chelsea didn’t sparkle at Turf Moor, but they didn’t need to. Sometimes the most important wins are the ones you simply navigate, survive, and move on from – and Enzo Maresca knew that better than anyone as his side sealed a 2-0 victory in the Burnley vs Chelsea Premier League fixture to start a season-shaping week.
‘Tricky’ Burnley vs Chelsea 2-0 Win
Enzo Maresca called it “a very tricky game,” listing every factor coaches hate: disrupted rhythm, fatigue, a slow-starting squad, and a pitch that demanded concentration rather than creativity. But Chelsea got exactly what they came for – three points, a clean sheet, and no new headaches.
What made the Burnley vs Chelsea result more impressive was the team selection. Maresca made four changes from the win over Wolves, the headline call being Moises Caicedo starting on the bench after a heavy international window with Ecuador.
Pedro Neto provided the breakthrough with a brilliant diving header in the first half – the kind of goal that instantly changes the mood of a tight match – before Enzo Fernandez wrapped things up late on the break. Chelsea didn’t need to dominate; they needed to be ruthless in moments, and for once, they were.
Maresca didn’t pretend their win in the Burnley vs Chelsea fixture was flawless. He acknowledged the “chaos inside the box” that briefly unsettled Chelsea in the second half, but he never looked rattled. Burnley had only one real chance, and otherwise the Blues controlled the danger, even if their performance was more functional than fluid.
In Maresca’s words, “Overall I think we deserved to win the game and we are happy.” It sounded less like relief and more like a box ticked.
The management didn’t end with Caicedo. Reece James was withdrawn at half-time, and not because of another setback – a welcome sentence for Chelsea fans. Maresca confirmed it was pre-planned: “The idea was especially to manage Reece, this is the reason why he played 45 minutes, it was planned.”
He also highlighted how Pedro Neto and Fernandez benefited from the international break in a different way – not exhaustion, but time to reset after recent injury issues. It was a small but telling insight into how finely Maresca is balancing minutes, momentum, and recovery.
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A Defining Week Awaits
And now comes the part that matters. Chelsea return to London for back-to-back home games against Barcelona in the Champions League and Arsenal in the Premier League eague – a week that could either reinforce their resurgence or expose the gaps still hiding beneath the results.
The confidence is real, but not reckless. “We are confident, we are doing well,” Maresca said, before adding the line that showed he hasn’t been fooled by a routine win: “Today we could have done many, many things better for sure.”
He didn’t hide his frustration with the nature of the performance in the Burnley vs Chelsea game, telling TNT Sports he “didn’t like this kind of win,” not because of the result but the circumstances. But he still recognised its value: maintaining momentum was non-negotiable. Chelsea have now won eight of their last ten in all competitions, and nothing derails progress like a post-break stumble.
“It was very important to keep the momentum,” he added. Job done. No fuss. No drama.
Chelsea didn’t send a message at Turf Moor – they didn’t need to. The message will come in what they do next. The warm-up is over. Chelsea vs Barcelona and Chelsea vs Arsenal will tell us what this team really is.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images
Recording Date: 22.11.2025
