Chelsea defeat Burnley and narrow points gap to top side Arsenal

Chelsea boosted their Premier League title aspirations with a determined 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened Burnley on Saturday.

Pedro Neto opened the scoring for the Blues right before half-time at Turf Moor, and Enzo Fernandez sealed the win late in the game.

Enzo Maresca's team now occupy second position, trailing leaders Arsenal by three points, with the Gunners facing Tottenham on Sunday.

The Blues have triumphed in eight of their past 10 outings across all competitions, marking a notable 50th Premier League match under Maresca's management.

This result served as perfect preparation for Chelsea entering a vital week that includes home fixtures against Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday and Arsenal in the Premier League on November 30.

The London club could slip to third if Manchester City secure at least a draw against Newcastle later that Saturday, but irrespective of the outcome, their resilient performance in chilly Lancashire bolstered their championship drive.

Burnley, sitting fourth from the bottom, have now dropped points in five of their last seven league fixtures.

Chelsea were missing Cole Palmer, as the England attacker prolonged his injury layoff by breaking his toe after banging it on a door.

Palmer was expected to return to training this week following two months sidelined by a groin injury.

Compounding Maresca's challenges, weary Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo remained an unused substitute after returning from international commitments on Thursday.

Maresca had voiced frustration over Chelsea receiving another early Saturday start.

His frustration grew in the fifth minute when Blues shot-stopper Robert Sanchez inadvertently struck the ball into Fernandez's head, an error that required the Argentine midfielder to undergo a short concussion assessment.

Fernandez continued playing and, despite the earlier mishap, Chelsea gradually asserted dominance.

Sharp Fernandez

Neto's shot from the edge of the box took a deflection and went wide, before Jamie Gittens fired over from a narrow position.

Kyle Walker rescued Burnley on his 400th Premier League outing with a crucial last-second clearance to prevent Gittens from converting Neto's delivery.

Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah escaped a bizarre penalty call when the defender handled Sanchez's pass inside his own penalty area before passing it back to the goalkeeper.

Sanchez seemed not to have resumed play, allowing Chalobah to take the goal kick instead, which nullified Burnley's penalty claim.

Maresca's players capitalised on the reprieve by scoring a neatly constructed goal in the 37th minute.

Marc Cucurella displayed fine skill to tame a lofted ball into the Burnley box before feeding it to Gittens.

Gittens sent over a precise cross to the back post, finding Neto who finished with an excellent diving header into the far corner.

Neto's fourth strike of the campaign nearly led to a second for Chelsea as Liam Delap's effort drew a stop from Martin Dubravka.

Gittens' effort that deflected narrowly missed the target soon after the restart.

Neto, set up by a Fernandez through ball, came close to extending the lead when his powerful shot struck the upright.

Clear in the Chelsea box, Zian Flemming squandered Burnley's clearest chance of levelling by blasting high over the crossbar.

However, Fernandez ensured the points were safe in the 88th minute, finishing neatly from close range after a smooth team move involving Marc Guiu's assist.