Burnley 0-4 Chelsea: Player ratings as Reece James inspires second half mauling
From Turf Moor - A brilliant second half display from Chelsea saw them romp to a convincing 4-0 win over Burnley.
The Clarets had been the better team in the opening 45 minutes and should really have taken the lead, but they were left to rue their missed chances as Thomas Tuchel's side blew them away after the break.
Reece James's brilliant individual effort broke the deadlock just two minutes into the second-half and the floodgates opened thereafter as Kai Havertz helped himself to a brace before Christian Pulisic poked home from close-range.
The win puts Chelsea six points clear in third, while Burnley remain entrenched in the relegation zone, third from bottom.
Burnley got into their stride early in the game and should of been ahead on the quarter-hour mark, only for Thiago Silva to brilliantly clear off the line after Aaron Lennon had pulled the ball back for Wout Weghorst.
Dwight McNeil then spurned the best chance of the half as Edouard Mendy's attempted punch clearance landed at his feet 10 yards from goal, but he fired over the bar.
Mendy, Silva and Antonio Rudiger were again called upon to make some big clearances before the half was out, with the Clarets no doubt wondering at the break how they were not ahead. They would soon regret not taking their chances as Chelsea showed them why they are world and European champions.
Just a couple of minutes after the restart James received the ball in the box, weaved outside, inside and back outside McNeil before firing low into the corner beyond Nick Pope. The first piece of real class that Chelsea had showed in the match.
Six minutes later it was 2-0 as Pulisic floated the ball to the back post for an unmarked Havertz to head home - but the German was not done there.
Chelsea's fans had barely had time to stop cheering before Havertz made it 3-0, James again the creator as he drilled the ball into the box to allow the 22-year-old to convert from a yard out.
Burnley threw on Maxwel Cornet from the bench and he looked dangerous but it was too little, too late for Dyche's men. Instead, Pulisic added a fourth late on to cap a sensational second half showing.
Burnley player ratings
1. Goalkeeper and defenders
Nick Pope (GK) - 3/10 - Couldn't do much with the goals but still conceded four.
Connor Roberts (RB) - 3/10 - Stuck to his task but could not cope with Chelsea's attacking flair.
James Tarkowski (c) (CB) - 3/10 - Awful in the second half and his inadvertent assist for the fourth goal summed it all up.
Nathan Collins (CB) - 3/10 - Should have troubled the scorers but instead was left to rue lapses in concentration at the back.
Charlie Taylor (LB) - 3/10 - Couldn't cope with the quality of the outstanding James.
2. Midfielders
Aaron Lennon (RM) - 4/10 - Was brilliant in the first half but faded badly as Chelsea assumed complete control of the match.
Ashley Westwood (CM) - 4/10 - Combative in the tackle but was chasing shadows throughout the second half.
Josh Brownhill (CM) - 5/10 - Tried to join in the attack when he could but didn't see enough of the ball.
Dwight McNeil (LM) - 4/10 - Should of have opened the scoring for Burnley in the first half - was barely in the game after the break.
3. Forwards
Jay Rodriguez (CF) - 3/10 - Tough day the office for Rodriguez as he wa rarely involved.
Wout Weghorst (CF) - 5/10 - Battled hard up front and gave it his all - Burnley's best player on the day.
4. Substitutes
Maxwel Cornet (64' for Rodriguez) - 5/10 - Looked dangerous when he came on for Burnley - a bit of a surprise he was benched in the first place.
Ashley Barnes (87' for Weghorst) - N/A
Chelsea player ratings
5. Goalkeeper and defenders
Edouard Mendy (GK) - 6/10 - Not his best game between the sticks and a poor punch could easily have led to a goal.
Trevoh Chalobah (CB) - 6/10 - The lesser of the three central defenders by far and a few slips almost let Burnley in.
Thiago Silva (CB) - 8/10 - Didn't put a foot wrong. Quality performance, again.
Antonio Rudiger (CB) - 8/10 - Dominant at the back for Chelsea and almost scored at the right end too.
6. Wing-backs and midfielders
Reece James (RWB) - 9/10 - Wonderful performance from start to finish. Scored a stunning goal, grabbed an assist and was brilliant at the back.
Jorginho (c) (CM) - 7/10 - Always composed, always wanted the ball.
N'Golo Kante (CM) - 7/10 - Caught in possession at times but much better in the second half.
Saul Niguez (LWB) - 5/10 - Horrid first-half, by far Chelsea's worst player but did improve after break.
7. Forwards
Mason Mount (RF) - 6/10 - Tidy in possession but pretty quiet by his standards.
Kai Havertz (CF) - 8/10 - Played the number 9 role very well and got his reward with his two goals.
Christian Pulisic (LF) - 7/10 - Got his goal and an assist - nice day at the office for the American.
8. Substitutes
Ruben Loftus-Cheek - (71' for Kante) - 6/10 - Not much to make a real impact but did okay.
Mateo Kovavic - (71' for James - 71) - 6/10 - Likewise, the game was won by the time Kovacic entered the fray, he just kept things ticking over.
Timo Werner - (78' for Mount) - N/A