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BURNLEY ROUTED: NETO AND ENZO FERNANDEZ GOALS SECURE EASY THREE POINTS FOR CHELSEA

Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez were on target as Chelsea beat Burnley 2-0 at Turf Moor. The victory provides a perfect boost ahead of a crucial week featuring a Champions League clash with Barcelona and a London derby against Arsenal.

Burnley Routed: Neto and Enzo Fernandez Goals Secure Easy Three Points for Chelsea
Chelsea keep the pressure on Premier League leaders with a 2-0 victory over

Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez both scored, helping Chelsea kick off a crucial week by beating Burnley 2-0 at their home ground.

Neto, who also almost scored again in the second half, made a fantastic header in the 37th minute, and Fernandez scored another goal late in the game, giving the Blues their fifth victory in the last six Premier League matches.

Chelsea can head back to London feeling positive before playing Barcelona at home in the Champions League and Arsenal next Sunday.

Enzo Maresca made four changes to the team that won against Wolves before the international break, including resting Moises Caicedo after he played twice for Ecuador.

Wesley Fofana was not included at all, and Alejandro Garnacho was also a substitute, while Reece James, Jamie Gittens, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Andrey Santos all started the game.

Caicedo's being out was very obvious early on, with Burnley taking advantage of open spaces on the sides and between the defence and midfield.

Loum Tchaouna and Jaidon Anthony were especially active, but both were stopped by defenders at the last moment, and Tchaouna also shot straight at Robert Sanchez.

However, Chelsea started to control the game more as the first half went on, with Neto and Liam Delap trying to get behind the defence, and they almost scored in the 34th minute, but Kyle Walker made a perfect sliding tackle to stop Gittens.

Three minutes later, Gittens helped set up a goal as the away team finally scored, with Marc Cucurella controlling a long pass and finding the former Borussia Dortmund player, whose high cross was met with an impressive header by Neto.

Chelsea made one change for the second half, with Benoit Badiashile, who was now fit, replacing James, and the game started again after a problem with an assistant referee's radio was fixed.

The away team continued where they left off and put a lot of pressure on Burnley's goal, with Neto almost scoring a second goal in the 63rd minute.

The winger was played through on the right and quickly shot at Martin Dubravka's near post, with the goalkeeper just touching the ball before it bounced off the post.

Burnley had hardly been in Chelsea's half during the second half, but they had their best chance in the 69th minute when Quilindschy Hartman found Zian Flemming after a free-kick, but the Dutch player shot high over the goal.

Scott Parker made three substitutions, bringing on Lyle Foster, Hannibal Mejbri, and Armando Broja, who has recovered quickly from an ankle injury he got playing for Albania against England.

But Chelsea still looked more likely to score, and Dubravka pushed a shot from substitute Malo Gusto over the bar, while Burnley were angry that they didn't get more from a pushing incident between Badiashile and Jacob Bruun Larsen at a corner than just a yellow card for the French player.

The away team scored their second point late in the game, in the 88th minute, after Sanchez began the play that led to Marc Guiu pushing past the defence to pass to Fernandez, who then made a shot that went past two Burnley players near the goal.

WHY WAS COLE PALMER SUBBED? THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE STAMFORD BRIDGE BOOS

Fans booed as Cole Palmer was subbed in Chelsea's draw with Bournemouth. Learn why Maresca was absent and what’s next for the Blues.

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Managing Cole Palmer’s return

After Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth, assistant coach Willy Caballero defended the choice to sub off Cole Palmer, even though fans at Stamford Bridge were angry about Enzo Maresca's move.

Fans booed, yelling, You don't know what you're doing! when Palmer—who'd been one of the team's better players—was taken out in the 63rd minute. The home team was trying to score and break their bad Premier League streak at the time.

Chelsea has only won one of their last seven league games. Caballero said afterward that head coach Enzo Maresca, who wasn't there for the post-game interviews due to illness, is still a role model for everyone at the club.

Still, the pressure is on the coach after yet another result slipped away. Chelsea has now lost 13 points at home from winning positions.

The mood got especially sour when Palmer, who just came back from an injury, was taken off in the second half.

Every fan wants the best players on the field, Caballero said. We do, too. But Cole is coming back from a long injury. So we have to figure out the best substitutions to win the game while also keeping our players healthy. We need them for the entire season.

Caballero said about Maresca's absence, "He hasn't been feeling well for the past two days." He had a fever two days ago. He did the last two practices because he wanted to get the team ready. But after the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in because he wasn't feeling well.

He's handling it well and is very professional. He puts in a lot of hours every day, even when he wasn't feeling well the last two days. He loves to train and coach. He's a role model for me and the rest of the staff.

Bournemouth took the lead after six minutes when David Brooks scored on his second try after Robert Sanchez made a save. Then, Palmer scored a penalty to tie the game for Chelsea.

Next, Enzo Fernandez put the home team ahead, but the Blues couldn't hold on to their lead again. Justin Kluivert tied the score before halftime after Chelsea failed to handle a long throw-in from Antoine Semenyo.

There's been a lot of talk that this would be Semenyo's last game for Bournemouth before he moves to Manchester City soon. Before leaving the field, he seemed to say goodbye to the fans who had traveled to see the game.

Still, head coach Andoni Iraola was sure he'd play against Arsenal on Saturday.

It's not his last game here with us, he said. I can't say for sure, but I think he'll play.

He needs to rest. We've played two tough games in three days. We have Arsenal at home, so we're getting ready for another one, a tough game against the leaders. He's going to be important for us.

BREAKING: ENZO MARESCA SKIPS MEDIA AS CHELSEA CRISIS DEEPENS! GET THE HEALTH UPDATE

Enzo Maresca missed the post-match media due to a fever after Chelsea's 2-2 draw. Willy Caballero provides an urgent update on his health.

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Chelsea's winless run continues as Maresca falls ill

Enzo Maresca skipped media interviews after Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth because he was sick.

The Blues coach was supposed to chat after his team snagged a point against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

But right before he was about to talk about the game, news dropped that Maresca wasn't feeling good.

So, his assistant, Willy Caballero, stepped in to handle things in west London.

Caballero shared an update on Maresca: He's been under the weather for a couple of days, Caballero said. He had a fever two days ago.

After the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in for him since he wasn't feeling well.

Caballero was asked if he'd be in charge against Manchester City on Sunday, like he was against Villa during Maresca's suspension.

"I'm not sure," he said. I just want Enzo to get better. I think he'll be fine in a day or two.

The draw with Bournemouth means Chelsea has only won one of their last seven Premier League games.

Fans were clearly annoyed during the second half when Cole Palmer was subbed out for Joao Pedro.

Palmer just got back to playing regularly after a groin injury, but some Chelsea fans wondered why he was taken out.

About the boos, Caballero said, "Of course, every fan wants their best players on the field, and so do we."

But Cole is coming off a long injury, so we have to figure out the right subs for the game and also look out for our players since we didn't have him for a while.

Chelsea and Bournemouth had a boring 0-0 draw in their previous match earlier in the month.

But the game at Stamford Bridge was totally different, with Bournemouth taking the lead early on through David Brooks.

Palmer leveled the score with a penalty, and then Enzo Fernandez blasted a shot into the top corner to put Chelsea ahead.

But Chelsea failed to defend a long throw for the second time, allowing Justin Kluivert to score for Bournemouth.

After playing City, Chelsea will face their west London rivals Fulham before an FA Cup game away against Charlton Athletic.

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