Chelsea didn’t perform well at Turf Moor, but they didn’t need to. Sometimes the most important wins are the ones you just have to navigate, survive and keep going – Enzo Maresca knows this better than anyone as his side started a season-shaping week with a 2-0 win in the Premier League against Chelsea at Burnley.

“Tricky” Burnley VS Chelsea won 2-0

Enzo Maresca called it “a very tricky game,” listing every factor a coach hates: a chaotic pace, fatigue, a slow start for the team, and a pitch that requires concentration rather than creativity. But Chelsea got what they wanted – three points, a clean sheet and no new troubles.

What was even more impressive about Burnley’s result against Chelsea was the team selection. Maresca made four changes from the win over Wolves, with the headliner being Moises Caicedo starting the international break with Ecuador.

Pedro Neto scored with a superb diving header in the first half that immediately changed the atmosphere of a tense game, before Enzo Fernandez completed the game late in the break. Chelsea don’t need to dominate; they don’t need to dominate. They needed to be ruthless at some point, and this time, they did.

Maresca didn’t pretend their win at Burnley against Chelsea was perfect. He admitted “chaos in the box” briefly unsettled Chelsea in the second half, but he never looked uneasy. Burnley had just one real chance, otherwise the Blues contained the danger, even if their performance was more about practicality than fluidity.

In Maresca’s words, “Overall, I think we deserved to win the game and we’re happy.” That sounded less like relief and more like a tick on a box.

The front office wasn’t done with Caicedo. Reece James’s dismissal at half-time was not due to another setback – a welcome remark for Chelsea fans. Maresca confirmed it was pre-planned: “The idea was specifically to manage Reese, that’s why he played 45 minutes, it was planned.”

He also highlighted how Pedro Neto and Fernandes have benefited from the international break in different ways – not as a result of exhaustion but as time to reset after recent injury problems. It’s a small but telling insight into how Maresca perfectly balances playing time, power and recovery.

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A fateful week awaits

Now comes the important part. Chelsea return to London for back-to-back home games against Barcelona in the Champions League and Arsenal in the Premier League – a week that will either reinforce their resurgence or expose the disparity beneath the results.

Confidence is real, but not reckless. “We are confident, we are doing well,” Maresca said, before adding, showing he was not fooled by routine victory: “We can definitely do better today.”

He did not hide his disappointment at Burnley’s performance against Chelsea, telling TNT Sports that he “didn’t like the win” not because of the result but because of the circumstances. But he still recognizes its value: Maintaining momentum is non-negotiable. Chelsea have won eight of their last ten games and nothing can hinder progress more than mistakes after the break.

“It’s important to keep the momentum going,” he added. The job is done. No fuss required. No drama.

Chelsea didn’t send a message at Turf Moor – they didn’t need to. That information will be reflected in what they do next. The warm-up is over. Chelsea vs Barcelona and Chelsea vs Arsenal will tell us the true strength of this team.

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Credit: IMAGO/Professional Sports Photos

Record date: November 22, 2025