Sunday, August 31, 2014

Everton 6-3



Independent:

Diego Costa has Jose Mourinho purring as Chelsea slip into overdrive

New signing sets the tone with all-action performance in startling team display of attacking play that Chelsea’s manager describes as ‘fantastic’

By SIMON HART

Park the bus? That’s so last season for Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea. On their last visit to Merseyside in April, they won at Anfield with a smash-and-grab. Here, in the Goodison drizzle, they went on the attack and outpunched Everton in an extraordinary nine-goal slugfest to maintain their 100 per cent winning start to the campaign.
Diego Costa started it all off with the opening goal after 37 seconds and finished it in the final minute, underlining why Mourinho did not hesitate to offload four different strikers when bringing in the Spanish international for £32m from Atletico Madrid in the summer.
One of the forwards who left Stamford Bridge – Samuel Eto’o – came off the bench to score a debut goal but that was a mere footnote during a breathless second half when two teams traded blows – with five goals scored in one mad 10-minute spell – and Chelsea came out on top.
“We were killers in attack, especially counterattacks,” said Mourinho of this new, all-guns-blazing Chelsea. “The quality of our football was fantastic – every time we had the ball we were aggressive, we were dangerous. We were very, very good with the ball.”
And they had in Costa a player who has four goals from three Chelsea starts. “Diego is maybe the best player in the Premier League in the first three matches,” said Mourinho of the striker who started the goalrush when Cesc Fabregas picked out his diagonal run behind Sylvain Distin.
With Everton defenders appealing for offside, he shot through the legs of Howard. Everton had conceded two late goals to surrender a two-goal lead against Arsenal last weekend and here they had not even puffed their cheeks before they were two goals down as Ramires played in Branislav Ivanovic who shot low past Howard.
Replays showed the Chelsea man was offside, though the next big call did go the way of the shellshocked home side with Howard lucky to avoid being penalised when he caught a through ball in the D of his penalty box.
It was on a Saturday evening last September that Roberto Martinez’s reign as Everton manager gained lift-off with victory over Chelsea but today was a sobering experience for the Spaniard,. Everton have conceded ten goals in three games. He said: “We were too soft with our defending.’’
What they did have was a refusal to lie down. Romelu Lukaku, starting against his old club for the first time, almost threw Everton a lifeline after 16 minutes when he thumped a header against the crossbar. Sylvain Distin was offside as he bundled the loose ball in. Yet on the stroke of half-time, Mirallas did find the net as he beat Gary Cahill to Seamus Coleman’s cross.
That hope was nearly extinguished early in the second half when Phil Jagielka gave the ball away to Fabregas and Ramires put Costa clear but this time Howard made the save.
Chelsea did get their third after 67 minutes when Eden Hazard dribbled into the box and his low ball was deflected in by Coleman. It was the cue for Costa to make a beeline for the Everton man. Costa had been booked for shoving Coleman and now had words with the Irishman as he sat on the turf. It was ungracious and sparked a furious reaction from Howard, who earned a booking.
Mourinho accused “some Everton players of trying to create problems for Diego”, but Martinez responded pointedly: “I think there are certain foreign players who when they come to the Premier League need to understand the ethics. It is a completely different culture, and the last thing you want to be is disrespectful to another player even if he is in the opposing team.”
What followed after Coleman’s own goal was a remarkable spell of scoring. Steven Naismith poked in from an Aiden McGeady through-ball. Matic fired in off a post. Then Eto’o nodded a free-kick past Courtois. At 3-4, Goodison roared again but not for long. Sixty seconds later Ramires shot across Howard and into the Park End net. There was still time for Mirallas to hit a post before Costa rounded off the scoring after Muhamed Besic gave the ball away.
It was astonishing stuff. “I prefer to win 6-0,” added Mourinho, before highlighting once more the work of Costa. “In the first half he was tackling Coleman on the edge of our box. He recovered balls, he held the ball up, he was aggressive, he was face to face with Howard three times and scored two goals.” Mourinho has Loïc Rémy arriving to boost his attack after the departures of Fernando Torres, Demba Ba, Lukaku and Eto’o. It is Costa, though, who has already given them a new dimension. And, as if these goals were not enough, Chelsea also expect to complete the signing of Loic Rémy tomorrow.

Everton (4-2-3-1): Howard; Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; McCarthy, Barry; McGeady (Eto’o, 70), Naismith, Mirallas; Lukaku (Besic, 89).

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Ramires, Matic; Willian (Mikel, 75), Fabregas (Drogba, 89), Hazard (Filipe Luis, 83); Costa.

Referee: Jon Moss.
Man of the match: Matic (Chelsea).

Match rating: 8/10.

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Observer:

Chelsea’s Diego Costa seals win over Everton in nine-goal thriller

Daniel Taylor at Goodison Park

It was a scoreline that felt like a throwback to the era when football was watched in black and white and by the end of a wild, eccentric game Chelseahad emerged with an immaculate record to the new season and maybe, at the back of his mind, José Mourinho remembered the days when he used to say results like this belonged to hockey rather than football.
That period in the second half when the two sides shared five goals in 10 minutes certainly did not feel like the orthodox Mourinho experience. It incorporated a goal from Samuel Eto’o against his former club and, in brief passages, the gathering sense that Chelsea were straying dangerously close to being caught by persistent opponents. Instead, it ended up as a rout, with Diego Costa at the heart of it and ironic cries of “boring, boring Chelsea” from the away end.
Boring? Costa will probably think he should have scored a hat-trick, bearing in mind he had also run clear of Everton’s defence just before that blitz of second-half goals. Everton, too, had plenty of chances to add more goals of their own. Mourinho could probably be forgiven for thinking his team should have made it a more routine victory considering the two-goal head start Costa and Branislav Ivanovic had given them inside the opening three minutes. Yet Everton, even in defeat, deserve a measure of acclaim for the way they tried everything to repair the damage. It was just a pity for Roberto Martínez that his team’s defending was so abysmal.
Chelsea began like a team in a hurry. They attacked with a vibrancy that was too much for their opponents and they always made sure they had the final say when Everton kept coming back at them. Amid the blizzard of goals, it should not be forgotten either that Everton, already 2-0 down and looking in need of smelling salts, could have been down to 10 men inside the opening 10 minutes. Tim Howard, running from his goalline to cut out a long pass for Eden Hazard, was a good yard outside his area when he handled the ball, in keeping with a day when there was seldom anything but panic in the home side’s defence.
The last time they conceded six at Goodison came against Arsenal in August 2009. Cesc Fábregas was playing for the opposition that day, too. He was excellent here but then so were Nemanja Matic and Ramires alongside him in midfield. Costa had a running argument with Séamus Coleman and then Howard and took out his anger with his goals. His place had been in doubt because of a hamstring issue but his right-footed finish, after 35 seconds, was an early way of letting everyone know he was functioning perfectly well. He lasted the full match and his second goal, to complete the scoring, was another reminder that Chelsea now have a striker suitable for a club of their ambitions. Fernando Torres, we can safely say, was not missed.
Everton were entitled to be aggrieved about Ivanovic’s goal because he had been in a marginally offside position when he controlled Ramires’s pass and fired in his shot. The offside flag did then go up, correctly, when Romelu Lukaku headed a corner against the crossbar and Sylvain Distin squeezed the rebound over the line. That was in the 17th minute and perhaps the moment when Everton did realise they could trouble their opponents.
They showed commendable spirit for the rest of the first half and their energy, particularly on the right, was rewarded just before the break when Kevin Mirallas headed in Coleman’s cross. Martínez later described Everton’s attacking as “phenomenal”. Yet he was at a loss to understand what had gone wrong in their defence. “We probably had 1,100 Premier Leagueappearances in that back five,” he said.
Mourinho was also unhappy, albeit to a lesser extent, pointing out that he had spent an entire training session on Wednesday working for 90 minutes solid on his team’s defence and, in hindsight, he “should have stayed at home with my wife”. Yet there was one crucial difference: Chelsea made mistakes for Everton’s goals; Everton made them all afternoon.
Chelsea’s third goal came from a Hazard cross that Coleman deflected into his own net and that was the moment Costa apparently said something to taunt the Everton defender, bringing an incensed Howard out of his goalmouth to confront him. Costa had already been booked after ignoring the referee Jon Moss’s instructions to stop tangling with Coleman at a free-kick. Howard was shown a yellow card and for the rest of the match Costa seemed intent on prolonging the argument with Everton’s goalkeeper. Mourinho, one imagines, appreciates the devil in his new signing, even if it does hint at trouble ahead.
Aiden McGeady set up Steven Naismith to poke in Everton’s second goal a minute after that flashpoint and, once again, the home crowd dared to think the comeback might be on. Chelsea wasted little time disappointing them, Matic restoring the two-goal advantage with a left-foot drive from 20 yards. It was starting to feel difficult to keep up when Eto’o headed in Leighton Baines’s free-kick to make it 4-3 but Matic played in Ramires to fire in their fourth goal and then a poor backheel from Muhamed Besic left the home defence vulnerable again. Mikel showed him how to do it, leaving Costa running clear before taking the ball around Howard to complete the scoring.

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Telegraph:

Everton 3 Chelsea 6:

Diego Costa scores twice and Samuel Eto'o scores on his debut in surreal thriller at Goodison

By Chris Bascombe, at Goodison Park

Chelsea score twice inside the opening three minutes and three more times in a chaotic 11-minute spell in the second half on its way to a wild win at Goodison Park

Diego Costa did not so much ease Fernando Torres out the door at Chelseaas prepare a farewell video of how it should have been done.
Jose Mourinho described this as the complete centreforward’s performance from the £32 million striker. Full of brooding menace, occasional tantrums and the killer instinct that yielded two goals in a 6-3 win at Everton. At a traditionally inhospitable venue, he provoked the hosts into both scowls and grudging admiration.
Even the managers were at odds over Costa’s on-field demeanour as he did not so much leave his mark as trample over every second of this game. For the first time since Didier Drogba led the line, Chelsea have a striker equally comfortable in a trench war or playing the role of sniper.
“He gave a fantastic performance in every aspect,” said Mourinho.
“I remember in the first half he was tackling Coleman in the edge of our box. He was holding balls. He was aggressive. He was face to face. He had three chances and scored two goals. It is not just the final touch, he participates in everything.”
A year ago, Mourinho stood outside Goodison’s press room and declared he knew his Chelsea side did not have what it takes to be successful in his first season, lamenting the lack of strikers.
The only thing he needs to guard against now is the premature coronation of his side because, putting aside the uncharacteristic defensive errors, this must have terrified the rest of the Premier League.
Even those he got rid of scored here – Samuel Eto’o came off the bench to head in on his Everton debut – to ensure the Chelsea manager was both thrilled and disturbed by the beguiling and bewildering performance.
Thrilling in attack, combustible in defence, it was as if the Chelsea manager wanted to show Roberto Martinez there is no Merseyside monopoly on throwing off the shackles.
Mourinho’s last title winning side was based on conservatism, but this served to confirm if Chelsea are to win the Premier League this season, they will not do so with a side recreated in the image of the past.
Perhaps the shift is not so much philosophical as practical. Mourinho has assembled an even more lethal pool of offensive talent, Cesc Fabregas as influential as Costa. The duo have struck an understanding that already has the potential to define this Premier League season. For Drogba and Frank Lampard read Fabregas and Costa.
They combined for one of the more rampant starts to a Premier League fixture you will see this season, the referee’s whistle signalling a gallop towards Tim Howard’s goal. Costa needed only 35 seconds to grab his third goal of the season. Fabregas’ weight of pass is so accurate the referees should be checking his pockets for scales.
Martinez barely had time to calculate what had gone wrong when Branislav Ivanovic put Chelsea two-up.
As with the first, Everton’s defenders sought an offside flag but Phil Jagielka looked as leggy from the early stages as he had in injury time against Arsenal last weekend.
There was an inch in it – the linesman’s flag should have been raised – but that did not justify the limpness of the defending, nor diminish the quality of Chelsea’s forward play. Had Howard’s clear handball on nine minutes been spotted, Everton would have been reduced to ten men.
Everton rallied, Romelu Lukaku headed against the bar and Kevin Mirallas glanced past Thibaut Courtois to restore home morale.
The second half was freakish, five goals following in eight minutes as twice Chelsea put themselves into a position of comfort only for Everton to strike back.
Seamus Coleman’s own goal; Nemanja Matic and Ramires for Chelsea; Naismith and Eto’o for Everton; causing both managers to extol their attacking side’s virtues and vow to extinguish the defensive flaws.
“I prefer to win 6-0 playing fantastically offensively and defensively. I want the team to play the way they did. I told them we have to score goals but to concede three is too much,” said Mourinho.
“I can clearly identify the mistakes, where we failed, but when you come to this stadium and get three points you can be happy when you score six goals. Since the game at Burnley people have the feeling we are playing in a different way. We were trying to press them up and have the initiative. I want to be different to play good football and score more goals, but not different in conceding three goals.”
Martinez, who normally finds positives in the most difficult of circumstances, was critical of his defence.
“We were very good going forward in the way we created chances but so disappointing in that we were too soft with our defending,” said Martinez.
“There was a sense of fear the ball would end up in the back of the net. Ten goals conceded in three games is not us.
Mourinho knows it is high calibre performances at this kind of venue that are studied for evidence of championship material, especially given Manchester City’s slip on Saturday.
From what we have seen thus far, he won’t be making any reference to his little horses in the title race this season. In attack, at least, Chelsea already have the look of thoroughbreds.

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Times:

Diego Costa lights up nine-goal thriller for Chelsea
Everton 3 Chelsea 6

James Masters

Remember the days when critics used to chastise José Mourinho, the Chelsea manager, with chants of “boring, boring Chelsea”?
Those critics will have to hold their tongues after this astonishing contest in which Chelsea claimed a third successive league victory to move top of the Barclays Premier League.
Two goals in the opening three minutes allowed Chelsea to take charge of the game and although Everton fought back valiantly, they never appeared likely to prevent the visiting team from claiming all three points.
This frenetic contest was like something you would witness in the school playground as both teams threw down their jumpers and went at each other from the first minute.
Unfortunately for Everton, it was they who looked like the infant school in the opening 45 minutes against the big kids from London.
Led by Diego Costa, who recovered in time from a minor hamstring strain to take his place in the starting line-up, Chelsea began with the style and swagger which you would expect.
There was not even time for Costa to ease himself back into action for within 35 seconds he had already netted the first goal of the afternoon without Everton even managing to touch the ball.
Mourinho reserved special praise for his new striker. “Diego Costa had three chances and he scored two goals,” the Chelsea manager said. “He is a good finisher and he gives us a lot.”
From the kick-off, Chelsea kept possession and when Cesc Fàbregas produced a sumptuous through-ball, Costa eluded the offside trap and calmly slid the ball past the helpless Tim Howard.
Everton, arms raised and with faces scarred by disbelief, were still in a state of shock by the time Chelsea doubled their advantage just over two minutes later.
Once again it was Costa who played an integral part in the move, exchanging passes with Ramires before the ball was slipped through for Branislav Ivanovic to rifle home from close-range despite more protests from the home side.
Everton, clearly in disarray, then suffered an almighty reprieve when Jon Moss, the referee, failed to spot that Howard had quite clearly handled the ball outside of his area as he rushed out to meet Eden Hazard.
Howard should have seen red given that he was at least a yard outside his penalty area when gathering, with his sheepish reaction and a clap of the hands giving the look of a guilty man.
His escape, which came within the opening ten minutes, appeared to give Everton a temporary lift as the home side slowly but surely began to find their feet.
Romelu Lukaku headed against the crossbar from an Aiden McGeady corner and while the rebound was correctly flagged offside after Sylvain Distin had rolled the ball home, Everton began to emerge from their slumber.
Their hope was rewarded just before the interval when Everton broke quickly. Seamus Coleman produced a cross of unerring accuracy, Kevin Mirallas was on hand to head the ball past Thibaut Courtois and rewrite his manager’s half-time team-talk.
Whatever Roberto Martínez, the Everton manager, said to his players appeared to have the desired effect as they emerged like a different side.
Playing at tempo and managing to retain possession, Everton began to dominate with Lukaku wasting a decent opening by blasting the ball harmlessly over the crossbar from 20 yards.
But while Everton looked dangerous going forward, the fragility of their defence continued to cause anxiety and Howard produced a fine save to deny Costa after the forward had burst through on goal after a mistake by Phil Jagielka.
Yet there was little Howard could do when Hazard embarked on a mazy run down the right and his effort was deflected into the net by the unfortunate Coleman after 67 minutes.
Two goals down and with the game becoming ever more fractious, some sides might have succumbed to their fate, but this Everton side refused to surrender.
Within two minutes, Steven Naismith, who had scored in both of his team’s previous Premier League fixtures, rounded off a fine move with a fierce drive that left Courtois with no chance.
The crescendo around Goodison was something to behold as Samuel Eto’o, formerly of Chelsea, walked on to make his debut with Everton in the ascendancy.
But every time Everton threatened to fight back, Chelsea re-established their advantage with Nemanja Matic firing home from the edge of the penalty area to make it 4-2.
Mourinho did not appear entirely pleased with what was a fantastic spectacle for the neutral observer, saying: “If the salt and the pepper of football is goals then to have nine goals in a Premier League match is fantastic ingredients.”

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Mail:

Everton 3-6 Chelsea: Quickfire Diego Costa sparks goal rush as Blues maintain perfect start

By Nick Harris

Chelsea stormed to the top of the Premier League amid a blizzard of nine goals from eight separate scorers in a match bookended by two strikes from Diego Costa.
The Spaniard is proving lethal since his £32million move from Atletico Madrid and now has four goals in three league games.
But it was an older Chelsea hand, Ramires, who pulled many of the strings in an ultimately impressive victory which keeps Everton waiting for their first win this season.
Everton manager Roberto Martinez made just one change from the starting XI who let slip a 2-0 lead against Arsenal at home last week, Aiden McGeady replacing the injured Steven Pienaar. Two recent former Chelsea employees were involved, with £28million Romelu Lukaku starting up front and Samuel Eto’o on the bench having joined on a free transfer last week. 
Jose Mourinho has seen four strikers leave Stamford Bridge this summer, selling Lukaku to Everton and Demba Ba to Besiktas, not offering Eto’o a further deal and loaning Fernando Torres — the unhappy Spaniard with that £50m millstone around his neck — to Milan for two years.
Mourinho made two changes from the side who beat Leicester 2-0, bringing in Ramires and Willian for Andre Schurrle, who is recovering from injury, and Oscar, who was injured in training on Friday.
Ramires’ impact was immediate, starting the move that ended with the Chelsea a goal up within 35 seconds. He passed to Willian, who found Cesc Fabregas, who again showed the vision and execution that are likely to make him a player of the season contender as he bisected Everton’s defence with a through ball to Diego Costa.
The 25-year-old striker made a brilliantly timed diagonal run behind Syvlain Distin to collect the ball, take one touch and slam it through Tim Howard’s legs.
Everton were rocked and Chelsea took quick advantage, with Costa and Ramires both instrumental again. Costa on the left slotted right to Ramires in the D, from where he slid a pass to Branislav Ivanovic, who fired right-footed across Howard and into the left-hand side of the goal. Replays showed Ivanovic to have been marginally offside as the final ball was played but the officials saw nothing wrong and the visitors were two up in three minutes.
Referee Jonathan Moss did Everton a slight favour five minutes later when Howard ran out to catch a ball forward to Ramires, and caught it while appearing to be marginally outside his area. Instead of a handball, Moss allowed play to continue.
Everton first had the ball in the net in the 16th minute, Sylvain Distin bundling over the line after being hit by a rebound off the bar from Lukaku header. But Distin was deemed offside and it didn’t count.
Steven Naismith shot wide a minute later and with Everton applying pressure throughout the first half, they were eventually rewarded just before the break. McGeady broke from midfield and laid off to Seamus Coleman, who crossed perfectly for Kevin Mirallas to send a powerful header beyond Thibaut Courtois.
Everton started the second half brightly, Lukaku shooting over and Distin threatening with a header.
It took seven minutes for Chelsea to settle after the break and then threaten again, Ramires feeding Costa, who ran on goal alone. Howard came forward to close down his options and Costa unleashed a shot which the American managed to toe wide — just. Costa’s next shot shortly afterwards was straight at Howard.
At the other end, Naismith had an effort blocked by John Terry, then Costa was booked for an altercation with Coleman before resuming his role as a nuisance, collecting from Fabregas and distributing to Ivanovic, who shot wide.
Chelsea extended their lead when Eden Hazard progressed to the left side of the six-yard box and slid in a ball that took a deflection off Coleman for an own goal, sparking an altercation that saw Howard booked. But Everton cut the deficit within two minutes, McGeady releasing Naismith to make the score 3-2.
Ramires played the provider role again in the 74th minute for Nemanja Matic, who smashed a left-foot shot in off the right-hand post to restore the cushion. Eto’o, just on as a substitute for McGeady, pulled back another goal for Everton two minutes later, but Ramires made it 5-3 with a neat finish over Howard after a one-two with Matic.
Costa finished things off in the last minute, rounding Howard and scoring left-footed following a misplaced backheel by substitute Muhamed Besic.
Astonishing.

Everton: Howard, Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, McCarthy, Barry, Mirallas, Naismith, McGeady (Eto'o 70), Lukaku (Besic 89).
Subs Not Used: Robles, Gibson, Osman, Stones, Alcaraz.

Booked: Howard.
Goals: Mirallas 45, Naismith 69, Eto'o 76.

Chelsea: Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Ramires, Matic,Willian (Mikel 75),Fabregas (Drogba 89),Hazard (Luis 83), Costa.
Subs Not Used: Cech, Zouma, Schurrle, Salah.

Booked: Costa, Ramires, Fabregas.
Goals: Costa 1, Ivanovic 3, Coleman 67 og, Matic 74, Ramires 77, Costa 90.

Att: 39,402
Ref: Jon Moss (W Yorkshire).

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Mirror:

Everton 3-6 Chelsea: Jose Mourinho's men come out on top in crazy Goodison goal-fest

By Dave Kidd

The London side side go back to the top of the table after a NINE GOAL thriller on Merseyside

After just three minutes of this match, it was clear this would be a special Saturday afternoon for the Special One.
Fernando Torres had finally wafted out of Stamford Bridge, with a classy replacement snapped up in Loic Remy.
Rivals Manchester City had suffered a shock home defeat against Stoke.
And then Chelsea found themselves two goals up at their least favourite ground, almost before the Goodison Park PA system had stopped rattling out the Z Cars theme.
The barnstorming Diego Costa, who was expected to miss the match through injury, netted twice to make it four goals in three games since his £32m move from Atletico Madrid.
And, at one point, there were five goals in 11 second-half minutes as the teams exchanged scores back and forth.
Mourinho now has a team capable of producing the breakneck excitement demanded by owner Roman Abramovich.
Roberto Martinez was left exasperated by a bullet-ridden defence, who have conceded 10 goals in three matches. But this was all about Chelsea’s attacking verve – even though you might have expected them to arrive with ­trepidation.
The Londoners had lost on three of their previous four visits here. Yet, Chelsea always had their noses in front.
Costa seized the lead within 35 seconds. A slick passing move ended with Cesc Fabregas slipping one through for Costa, who sent a shot through Howard’s grasp.
Before Everton could retaliate, Costa cut back for Ramires, who fed Branislav Ivanovic.
The Serb was fractionally offside, but the flag stayed down and he took full advantage with a thumping finish.
The errant linesman evened things up after seven minutes when Howard – under pressure from Costa – clearly handled outside his box, but got off scot-free.
Lukaku made his presence felt when he thundered a header off the underside of the bar from an Aidan McGeady corner and Sylvain Distin poked home – only to be correctly ruled offside.
There was plenty of Everton pressure, but little suggestion that Chelseawould yield until the final minute of the first half when Seamus Coleman whipped one in and Mirallas got in front of Gary Cahill to head inside the far post.
Howard’s second brainstorm occurred in the aftermath of Chelsea’s third goal on 66 minutes.
Eden Hazard slipped free of James McCarthy down the left, reached the bye-line and tried a cut-back, which Coleman diverted into his own net.
Costa appeared to direct a taunt at a prone Coleman, sparking fury from Howard, who pushed his head into first Costa and then Cesar Azpilicueta – with ref Jon Moss producing only a yellow card.
This sparked a frenzy of goals – first Steven Naismith latched on to a McCarthy pass and drilled home Everton’s second for 3-2. Then Nemanja Matic arrowed in a left-foot drive from 20 yards, only for debutant Samuel Eto’o to head home a Leighton Baines free-kick – minutes after arriving as a sub.
Next, Ramires exchanged pass with Matic and cut in from the right to make it 5-3.
Finally, John Obi Mikel produced a back-heel for Costa to round Distin and shoot past a stranded Howard.
It was breathless and it was utterly bonkers, but Chelsea are top of the league – and are going to take some catching.
Afterwards, Mourinho said: “I think if salt and pepper of football is goals, to have nine goals in a Premier League match is fantastic ­ingredients.
“But, in the end, we were killers in attack – especially in counter-attack.”

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Express:

Everton 3 - Chelsea 6: Diego Costa leads Mourinho past battling Toffees

SAMUEL ETO’O and Everton both made their points in defeat – but Diego Costa ensured that Chelsea present usurped Chelsea past.

By: Mike Whalley

Eto’o, forced out of Chelsea during the summer as his relationship with Jose Mourinho deteriorated, at least had the satisfaction of a debut goal for his new club against his former employers.
But the Chelsea manager’s reshaping of his squad is paying off. Three games have brought three wins, 11 goals and top spot in the Premier League. Costa, the £32million buy from Atletico Madrid, has scored four of them. They will be hard to stop this season.
Everton gave it a go in a thrilling, breathless match. And had they not been playing catch-up after an awful start, they might have brought Mourinho’s men down a peg or two.
As it was, neither Eto’o nor his fellow former Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku could make the difference for Everton. Chelsea just had too many goals in them for that. Loic Remy will have a job getting a game in this side.
It was Costa who had the first and last words. For a player who was supposed to be struggling with a hamstring injury in the build-up to kick-off, this was a fast start and an impressive finish.
Only 37 seconds had been played when Costa had the ball in Everton’s net, becoming the first Chelsea player to score in his first three games for the club since Adrian Mutu in 2003.
The home side were stretched to breaking point by the rapid passing of Ramires, Willian and Cesc Fabregas, who played the through-ball for Costa to drill a shot between Tim Howard and his near post.
Barely two minutes later, Chelsea had scored again, although a little more fortunately.
Ramires played in the marauding Branislav Ivanovic to lash in a second from a marginally-offside position.
Goalkeeper Tim Howard, at one point, had a brain freeze as he handled a Fabregas through-ball outside his penalty area; fortunately for the American, so too did the officials, as they failed to spot it.
Slowly, Everton began to show signs of life. Lukaku headed an Aiden McGeady corner against the bar, and Sylvain Distin bundled in the rebound, only to be correctly ruled offside. And then, with half-time approaching, came Everton hope.
McGeady fed the adventurous Seamus Coleman down the right, and Kevin Mirallas got above Gary Cahill to meet the ball with a towering header that tore into the net.
Costa could have put the match beyond Everton’s reach early in the second half when put in behind Everton’s creaking defence by a Ramires pass, but Howard blocked with his foot.
When the third Chelsea goal did arrive, it was reward for Eden Hazard’s attacking spirit, aided by a touch of luck. The Belgian winger darted in from the left and found the net via a deflection off Coleman.
Everton’s instant response – with Steven Naismith slotting in a deserved goal from McGeady’s run and pass – suggested they could find a way back into the game.
And there were plenty more twists to come in an extraordinary game. Nemanja Matic, set up by Ramires, drove in a fourth Chelsea goal from the edge of the penalty area, via the inside of the post.
Within minutes, Eto’o had given Everton a third, with a beautifully placed header from Leighton Baines’ free-kick.
In the end, though, Everton left themselves too much to do. Ramires finished after playing a one-two with Matic, before Costa pounced on a defensive error to score decisively.

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Star:

Everton 3 Chelsea 6: You sixy beasts! Costa del goals as Mourinho's men lay down a marker
SO this is why Jose Mourinho was happy to splash out £32million for striker Diego Costa.

By Gary Doolan

The summer signing from Atletico Madrid scored Chelsea's opening goals in their victories against newly-promoted Burnley and Leicester.
And against an Everton side expected to provide a tougher test, the prolific Spaniard did it again.
On the day Mourinho finally got rid of £50m misfit Fernando Torres, new-boy Costa took just 35 seconds to fire Chelsea on the way to a win that lifted them top of the league.
And he wrapped up a thrilling win with his second in the final minute of normal time.
Despite former Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o coming off the bench in the second half to pull Everton back into the game with his first goal for the club, Mourinho's men proved their credentials with a third straight win.
There had been doubts over the fitness of Costa after he picked up a hamstring injury in training in midweek. There had even been fears he could be sidelined for up to six weeks.
But he blew those worries away by catching Everton's defence cold after just 35 seconds.
It was quick thinking from another summer arrival, Cesc Fabregas, which sliced up the home side's static back line.
The pass gave Costa the edge and he whipped his shot across World Cup hero Tim Howard.
The Toffees were visibly stunned but there was so much worse to follow as Branislav Ivanovic forced Howard to pick the ball out the net again just two minutes later.
Everton's defenders screamed for offside but Ramires played on to slip Ivanovic through and he converted.
It was 15 minutes before Everton managed a shot on the visitors' goal as Chelsea threw men behind the ball to protect a lead they hoped would be enough to take them top of the table.
If Chelsea were happy to defend their lead, Everton seemed just as content not to expose themselves at the back too often in the pursuit of a way back into the match.
But just as Everton had been caught asleep at the start of the first half, so Chelsea were caught napping as referee Jon Moss was about to blow for half-time.
Seamus Coleman floated a ball into the box which should have been hoofed back from where it came. Instead, Mirallas climbed between Gary Cahill and John Terry to head beyond Thibaut Courtois.
While there had been periods of stalemate before the break, the goals came thick and fast after the restart.
Eden Hazard forced a 67th-minute shot in off Coleman as Howard grasped for the ball.
Chelsea were not having it all their own way and in-form Scot Steven Naismith showed again his new-found confidence under Martinez by powering clear to pull a goal back just two minutes later.
Nemanja Matic thought he had put the clash beyond the spirited home side just four minutes later with a long-range effort that spun through a ruck of legs to drift past Howard.
But Eto'o had other ideas, taking just six minutes after coming off the bench to head firmly past Courtois in the 75th minute.
Ramires restored Chelsea's two-goal advantage two minutes later, flicking effortlessly past Howard.
Costa added the sixth in the final minute of normal time, feinting to put Howard on his backside before firing in.

EVERTON: Howard 5; Coleman 7, Jagielka 6, Distin 5, Baines 5; McCarthy 6, Barry 6; McGeady 6 (Eto'o (69th) 6), Naismith 7, Mirallas 7; Lukaku 7 (Besic 88th)

CHELSEA: Courtois 6; Ivanovic 7, Cahill 6, Terry 6, Azpilicueta 5; Fabregas 7 (Drogba 88th), Matic 7; Willian 6 (Obi (74th) 6), Ramires 7, Hazard 7 (Luis 82nd); Costa 9
Star Man: Diego Costa

Ref: J Moss

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Leicester 2-0



Indy:

Diego Costa and Eden Hazard come to the rescue after stubborn Foxes threatened to cause a shock
Chelsea 2 Leicester City 0

By MICHAEL CALVIN

Cuddly Chelsea? Hold that thought. Let’s not prepare, prematurely, for the culture shock of football’s arch-pragmatists being transformed into poets. The equivalent of John Terry reinventing himself as a sandal-wearing, muesli-knitting, bleeding heart liberal is some way off.
Idealists dared to dream after Burnley were eviscerated on the opening weekend by the speed, movement and creativity of a team which has been strengthened significantly and strategically for the Second Coming’s second season.
This was a win more in the traditional Jose Mourinho mould, a reward for patience and remorselessness after a frustrating first hour against a well-organised, defiantly durable, newly promoted side.
There is still Something of the Night about Mourinho. He described ever-decreasing circles in his technical area, and pirouetted angrily when Dean Hammond, Leicester’s principal irritant, scythed down André Schürrle before the breakthrough came. He admitted he had to “be a little bit emotional” at half-time.
With him, and to a significant degree Louis van Gaal, the team will never be the star. Collective reputation is secondary to the individuality of his personality. It remains easy to imagine him stealing through fog-shrouded streets, trailing a silky black cape and an air of mystery, but Chelsea have pretensions to be something other than the glee club of an Evil Empire.
They handed out free foam hands to home fans, and peddled T-shirts which depicted Mourinho, somewhat improbably, as The Happy One. A brass band in the forecourt massacred Coldplay’s greatest hits, which may be lift music in the seventh circle of Hell, but it provided a welcome, of sorts.
Mourinho bizarrely used the weather as an excuse for Chelsea’s self-confessed “laziness” in the first half, and stretched credulity still further by suggesting that Fernando Torres has a viable role as one of three regularly rotated strikers.
Despite perceptions that the Spaniard is available for the price of a deep-crust pizza and a bag of sticky toffees, Mourinho insisted his absence from the match day squad was not a signal he is about to join Ashley Cole at Roma, Serie A’s answer to the Sunnyside Senior Citizens’ retreat.
Mourinho’s clinical marginalisation of Petr Cech, after a decade’s service, in favour of Thibaut Courtois, gives him another option since he needs to shed a foreign player from his squad before 1 September to meet Premier League regulations.
There is no-one more isolated than yesterday’s man. Cech, an incongruous figure in his superfluous skull cap, was forced to sit and listen to Stamford Bridge echoing with a chant of “Thibaut” following his replacement’s pivotal one-on-one save from David Nugent.
New heroes are emerging, as old heroes return. It took Torres 19 Premier League matches to accumulate two goals last season. Diego Costa has required only two games to do so. He will not disappear into football’s Bermuda Triangle, the void into which Chelsea forwards of recent vintage have vanished.
When Branislav Ivanovic, freed by Oscar’s subtle pass, squared the ball to the naturalised Spaniard in the 63rd minute Costa’s first touch was poor; he scored with his second. They might as well save time now, and arrange his fitting for the Premier League’s golden boot.
Cesc Fabregas, a fellow refugee from La Liga, is filling the spiritual vacuum left by fabled Frank. He has Lampard’s taut, slightly hunched shoulders as he demands the ball and dictates the tempo of attacks. Though initially wasteful in possession, he still set up Chelsea’s second.
Demand that Eden Hazard tracks back, and he responds with the disdain of a duchess asked to scrub the scullery floor. Give him an inviting pass and a tiring full back and he is a king among men. Leicester’s fate was sealed when he cut in from the left past Ritchie De Laet, and scored with a right foot shot under the outstanding Kasper Schmeichel, following a slight deflection off the lunging Wes Morgan.
So can Chelsea win the title? Mourinho, conscious of the magnitude of the opportunity squandered when they were top of the League with nine matches remaining last season, insisted “we have a lot of work to do”. He was hardly likely to say anything else.
At least Leicester didn’t join their unlikely list of conquerors in the spring, which included Aston Villa, Sunderland and Crystal Palace. The consequences of a lack of drive and intensity, reflected by a first half performance which had the fluidity of slow-setting cement, are obvious.
Successful clubs feed off the men tal energy created by a yearning for players of emotional stature, and the totemic Didier Drogba will be an important factor as the season wears on. He is not a natural starter these days, but the primal scream of hope and exultation which greeted his arrival with 10 minutes left suggests the feelgood factor is back at the Bridge.
Even Roman Abramovich joined in the standing ovation from his executive eyrie. When an Oligarch is on his feet, applauding with arms extended over his head despite the embarrassment of sweaty armpits, anything is possible.

=================================

Observer:

Diego Costa saves profligate Chelsea’s blushes against Leicester City
Barney Ronay at Stamford Bridge

If Chelsea made slightly heavy weather of victory in their first home Premier League fixture of the season, then there was plenty for José Mourinho to take heart from in a 2-0 defeat ofLeicester City pegged out around second-half goals from Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, and a performance that became more convincing as Leicester’s energy levels dropped in the afternoon sun.
The visitors had looked the more settled team in the first half here, tribute to their own energetic and diligent midfield and also to a general sluggishness in Chelsea’s passing and movement. Afterwards, Mourinho blamed the weather, suggesting that his team of Brazilians and Spaniards had been made “lazy” by the sheer unrelenting heat of an autumnal day in west London. In the event, the end result may have had more to do with Mourinho’s own “emotional” response in the dressing room at half-time. “I told them the way we were playing was not good enough to win the game,” Mourinho said. “In the second half we were much more aggressive. It was good, it was fast, and we made it difficult for them.”
It is naturally tempting to make light of successive victories against newly promoted teams, but for Chelsea there are still grounds to sniff out signs of progress here. Defeat by Sunderland at home effectively chloroformed last season’s title challenge, and points were also dropped against West Brom, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Norwich. Beating the teams you expect to beat isn’t everything in the Premier League. But it’s a pretty good place to start, and it is in this kind of fixture that the added cutting edge of Costa might just make the most obvious difference.
Here, the Brazilian-Spanish west Londoner had a fine match, working tirelessly, Atlético-style, and poaching a vital opening goal. Mourinho, who also confirmed that Fernando Torres would not be leaving in the transfer window, said Costa’s integration atChelsea had been “no big deal”. “He’s a happy guy, not speaking good English but always communicating. His integration in the team is good, his style of play also adapted to our needs.”
Not that Chelsea had it all their own way, as Leicester again showed themselves resilient travellers. Mourinho’s pre-match utterances are generally best skimmed for the odd word not specifically dedicated to inflammatory falsehoods, but Chelsea’s manager was correct to offer some wary respect for the Football League’s champion club and here, lining up in a tightly knit 4-4-2, Leicester were sharp in the tackle early on, and pacy on the break throughout.
At times in the first half, the most visible attacker on the pitch was Leicester’s Algerian World Cup winger Riyad Mahrez, who had the first really venomous attempt on goal, after 22 minutes, making space 30 yards out and firing in a low shot that Thibaut Courtois parried away. Moments later, Cesc Fábregas had his best moment of the half, finding André Schürrle on the right and then sprinting between the lines to tee up Oscar for a shot that was deflected over the bar. And that was pretty much that for Chelsea in a first half most notable for the astute positional play of Dean Hammond and Andy King, Leicester’s third and fourth-choice central midfielders.
There was instant improvement from Chelsea at the start of the second half, with Branislav Ivanovic in particular pushed much farther upfield. First, though, Leicester had their own moment to turn this game. David Nugent might like to look away here. With 53 minutes gone (and moments after Oscar had hit the post at the other end), a pass from Hammond put Nugent in on goal, only for Courtois to make a fine low save with his legs. Moments later, it was Nugent v Courtois II, a better chance drawing a better save as Mahrez bypassed the entire Chelsea midfield with a single pass on the break, Nugent hared in on goal and Chelsea’s goalkeeper sprinted out to hurl himself at his feet and deflect a hesitant shot wide.
At the other end, Ivanovic continued to rampage down Chelsea’s right, and it was his burst that made the opening goal after 63 minutes. Taking Oscar’s through-pass, Ivanovic cut inside with all the twirling incision of a thunder-thighed Charlie Cooke, leaving both Liam Moore and Jeff Schlupp on their backsides. His pass inside found Costa, who, despite a bobbly touch, was able to prod past Kasper Schmeichel and low into the net.
Chelsea continued to press and the second goal duly arrived, on 77 minutes. Hazard cut in from the left, wandered across the penalty area waiting for a challenge and then, almost with a shrug, swept a shot across the goal and into the far corner. As with the first goal, Leicester’s defensive efforts had dipped just for a second; together, those moments were enough to cost them the match.

========================================

Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Leicester City 0:
Diego Costa and Eden Hazard score as Jose Mourinho's men continue winning start

By Jonathan Liew, at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea's £32 million striker Diego Costa scores again as the Blues maintain their 100 per cent start to the season
Jose Mourinho turned around to his bench and cracked a little smile. Roman Abramovich stood to applaud, exposing medium-sized sweat patches under his arms. The home supporters were singing odes to Didier Drogba.
A warm summer party was taking place at Stamford Bridge, and the theme of that party appeared to be 2004. All that was missing was a surprise late cameo from Frank Lampard: arriving at the edge of the penalty area by parachute, throwing off his Manchester City shirt, and reliably drilling it in from 19 yards.
A whole lot of fun, then, if you were aChelsea fan. Even Leicester fans could take something from the afternoon: a performance of real poise and spirit, the knowledge that they will certainly not disgrace themselves in this league. All the same, there was a certain inevitability to this result, from the moment Chelsea woke from their first-half siesta and started playing properly again.
Mourinho described his team’s performance during those somnolent first 45 minutes as “lazy”, and added another page to his bulging book of footballing excuses by blaming the warm weather.
“It was not the best weather to play football, because you get a bit lazy,” he said. “They lose a little bit of tension, they lose sharpness in the body. After that, you pass slow, you move slow, the time goes on and on, and when you wake up it is already half-time.” And so at half-time, Mourinho got angry.
“I told them the way we were playing was not good enough to win the game. And that it was impossible to play football if you don’t win one single second ball. I think they understood.”
The improvement was almost immediate. Chelsea were so much quicker after the break, so much more aggressive, andLeicester City were simply overwhelmed.
Chances flowed. Oscar hit a post with a curling shot. But it was a more humble figure who proved the key to unlocking this game.
Branislav Ivanovic is nobody’s idea of a superstar. No child ever pestered their parents to get them an Ivanovic replica shirt. No manager was ever asked in a press conference if they had “any special plans for dealing with Ivanovic”. Yet there is a case for anointing him as Chelsea’s most consistent player of recent years.
Here, he was immense in defence and attack, making the right flank his personal fiefdom, twice forcing Kasper Schmeichel into acrobatic saves, assisting Costa’s opening goal. Receiving Oscar’s dainty through-ball, Ivanovic cut in from the right, left two defenders on their backsides and passed for Costa, who took a touch before finishing with his right foot.
With 13 minutes to go, Hazard made the points safe with a low shot after receiving a pass from Cesc Fabregas. Two-nil, and there was still time for substitute Drogba to receive a king’s welcome on his return to the Bridge after two years away.
Leicester will rue their one golden chance, which fell to David Nugent when it was 0-0. Put clean through by Riyad Mahrez, Nugent looked up to see the imposing figure of Thibaut Courtois charging at him, and ultimately saving the shot with a leg. It was a turning point. Eight minutes later, Chelsea were ahead.
The Championship winners have worn their tough start to the season with courage and skill, although they would perhaps benefit from a little more bite. The signing of Esteban Cambiasso cannot come quickly enough, especially after the injury that forced off midfielder Dean Hammond late on. But Nigel Pearson is finding that signing Champions League winners is a damn sight more complicated than buying Conference strikers.
“It’s proved to be exceptionally hard to find a solution to the negotiations,” the Leicester manager said. “There seem to be so many representatives now. It’s about finding out who’s actually doing the deal.”
For Chelsea, the summer has been a resounding success. The only question is whether anybody will leave the club in the next week. But Mourinho was adamant it would not be Fernando Torres, even though he has been linked with a move to AC Milan, and was not even deemed worthy of a place on the bench here.
“I want three strikers in the team,” Mourinho insisted. “He will play. He will be very useful for us.”
So are Chelsea potential champions? The answer is yes. There are still frailties at the back – Cesar Azpilicueta occasionally looked vulnerable at left-back – but this side look well drilled and well organised, stuffed with movement and creativity and goals, and with the capacity to improve. The big question will be what happens when injuries strike, when fixtures pile up.
Will the likes of Willian, Filipe Luis and Kurt Zouma be able to step in when needed and perform at the required level?
But nobody at Stamford Bridge on Saturday was worrying too much about that.
As the game wound down, as sunshine continued to drench the pitch, it was possible to see in this Chelsea side echoes of Mourinho’s last, a decade ago. There is that same swagger, that same relentless physicality, that same frenetic urgency. Even some of the faces were the same. Golden memories alone will not power Chelsea through an entire season, but for now at least, they seemed more than enough.

==============================

Times:

Diego Costa and Eden Hazard give Leicester history lesson

Alyson Rudd 
Chelsea 2 Leicester 0

For Roman Abramovich there was a strong dose of déjà vu. His first home game as Chelsea owner came against Leicester City precisely 11 years ago to the day. Chelsea won then and they have more or less been winning since - sometimes by being dull, sometimes by being ruthless and now and again by being exceedingly entertainingly attacking.
Abramovic saw the full gamut of what Chelsea can offer as goals from Diego Costa and Eden Hazard saw off a spirited and impressively composed challenge from Nigel Pearson’s side. You might label it half-hearted, you might think of it as relaxed superiority but Chelsea certainly began in underpowered fashion.
André Schürrle scooped a shot well over the bar after stealing the ball from under the feet of Costa, the lone striker, which proved to be Chelsea’s main threat for the opening half hour. It emboldened Leicester although they failed to capitalise. Riyad Mahrez wasted a corner by playing the ball short to Paul Konchesky and instead of delivering one of his trademark tricky crosses, the full back played another short ball and the move petered out.
Still, the visitors were having some fun. They were competitive all over the pitch, confident without being reckless - even if their corners were still annoyingly limp.
When Mahrez twisted and turned 20 yards out he almost surprised Thibaut Courtois, the Chelsea keeper, with a stinging strike. Leicester almost took full advantage of the fact Chelsea lacked any real slickness.
A Mourinho side invariably stir when prodded and in the 36th minute Costa would have scored but for a block made by Wes Morgan. Hazard’s cross was headed clear by Liam Moore and the ball fell very nicely for Schürrle but the German’s volley was far from world-class.
Cesc Fàbregas tried to reprise the beautiful pass he executed on Monday against Burnley but this time Schurrle was offside as he met the former’s Arsenal midfielder’s chipped ball.
It would have come as no great surprise had José Mourinho opted to introduce the ice bucket challenge at half time. His players need to snap out of their contained, relaxed demeanour and start giving Pearson’s side much more to grapple with, both physically and intellectually.
Two minutes into the second half first Oscar, with a curling shot, and then Branislav Ivanovic, with a header from Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross, almost scored with the post and then Kasper Schmeichel saving the visitors.
After Nemanja Matic was too easily dispossessed, the visitors almost took the lead through David Nugent with Courtois illustrating again why he is keeping Petr Cech, the veteran keeper, out of the side.
It became fast and furious now as Ivanovic produced a thunderous shot that Schmeichel did well to reach and then, on the break from the subsequent corner, Nugent failed to make the best of being one on one with Courtois.
Fabregas tried to lob the excellent Schmeichel - and failed. The Spaniard then tried to place a shot past him but that failed also.
The breakthrough came in the 62nd minute when Ivanovic used both his strength and subtlety to set up Diego Costa for his second goal in two games for his new club. Needless to say, few around Stamford Bridge were wondering at that point about the future of Fernando Torres. Costa tried to set up Ivanovic in return but the Spain international timed his pass poorly. He received a standing ovation when replaced in the 80th minute all the same.
In the 77th minute Hazard doubled Chelsea’s lead when his shot deflected in off Morgan.
A late swerving Willian effort brought an agile save from Schmeichel with Chelsea ending the game as sharp as they had earlier been lacklustre.

=========================

Mail:

Chelsea 2-0 Leicester City:

Diego Costa scores on home debut before Eden Hazard seals the points as Jose Mourinho's men eventually down brave Foxes at Stamford Bridge

By Rob Draper

At times last week it seemed some were ready to award Chelsea the Premier League title on the back on a 3-1 win at Burnley.
And though in the end they did re-discover some of that momentum on Saturday, the over-riding lesson of their victory over Leicester was the stark reminder that Chelsea’s season will be a degree tougher in the long run and that they still struggle against well-organised teams.
True, they won comfortably enough in the end with goals from Diego Costa and Eden Hazard. And they could even afford a carnival moment towards the end, with Didier Drogba coming on, a hero returning to his natural home, on 79 minutes.
Yet though all ended happily, Chelsea laboured incredibly to get ahead in the first place. They were truly abject in the first half, languid and one paced, lacking both tempo and creativity, just as they had been for many games last season.
Mourinho disappeared down the tunnel a good three minutes before half time to prepare his team talk. Judging by his team’s response in the second half, their manager had let them know quite how bad it was, though somewhat bizarrely the coach seemed to think the weather - cool and breezy for the time of year - was partly to blame.
‘We have lots of work to do,’ said Mourinho afterwards. ‘Our first half showed clearly that we have to improve. This week I trained at 3 o’clock because I was expecting this, as it’s not the best weather to play football, because you get a bit lazy. But I was unsuccessful in that because the team was lazy in the first half, which I didn’t like. But in the second half everything improved and they showed that they wanted it.
‘I think the weather makes players lazy, lose a bit of tension and sharpness in the body and after that you pass slow you move slow and you don’t react to the second balls and by the time you wake up it’s half time
‘At half time we had to be a little bit emotional with them and make them realise we were at risk,’ said Mourinho. ‘I wasn’t annoyed but I told them that if you have the same feeling I have we’re not in trouble, we will change. But if you don’t we’re in trouble. I think they understood. It’s important not to lose points against teams that normally you would beat.’
It wasn’t simply that Leicester set up well and frustrated Chelsea. Dean Hammond was the most dominant presence in the midfield in the first half while Riyad Mahrez was always lively and indeed produced the first shot on target of the game on 35 minutes, which Thibaut Courtois got down well to save.
‘I’m proud but disappointed,’ said Leicester manager Nigel Pearson afterwards. ‘I’m disappointed we weren’t able to to convert an encouraging performance into a reward with points. The good thing is we created chances throughout the game. We played well but as always it will be about how efficient we are in both penalty areas.
Where Fabregas had thrilled on Monday, in the opening 45 minutes he looked as ineffective as his midfield partner Nemanja Matic. Oscar offered little more. Costa felt the sharp end of his manager’s tongue at one stage and Hazard had reverted to type, leaving Cesar Azpilicueta to deal alone with the frequent incursions of Mahrez.
Half time did indeed prove pivotal. All of the above improved considerably and within minutes of the re-start Oscar had hit the post with a shot from outside the box and Kasper Schmeichel had pulled off an excellent save by pushing wide a Branislav Ivanovic header.
Yet Chelsea were also more open at the back and Courtois was called upon when Hammond played in David Nugent, who forced the Belgian into a fine save with his right leg on 52 minutes. And Nugent had an even better chance when put clean through by Mahrez on 55 minutes, Courtois again being forced to save with an out-stretched leg.
Schmeichel then got a decisive touch to a lovely Fabregas chip on 57 minutes but Costa finally made the breakthrough, when Oscar played a lovely through ball for Ivanovic on 63 minutes. The Chelsea right back managed to take out two defenders with a neat turn and cross for the Brazilian-born striker, who was making his home debut. His chest down looked heavy, but the ball fell kindly and he swept it in past Schmeichel from close range.
Having finally breached Leicester, Chelsea would never again look uncomfortable. And when Fabregas played in Hazard on 77 minutes, the Belgian simply cut inside his man and shot past Schmeichel for 2-0.
The game safe, there was time for that a sentimental moment with Drogba, after two years away, coming on to a hero’s welcome.
High in the stands, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich beamed – a change from his usual default scowl – and wildly clapped his hands above his head in delight. Never have we seen the Russian quite so animated. Safe to say, his mood had changed somewhat from the opening 45 minutes

CHELSEA: Courtois 8, Ivanovic 7, Cahill 6, Terry 6, Azpilicueta 6.5, Matic 6, Fabregas 7, Oscar 7 (Willian 6, 70), Hazard 6.5, Schurrle 6.5 (Ramires 6.5, 64), Costa 7 (Drogba 6.5, 80).
Subs not used: Cech, Luis, Zouma, Mikel.
Goals: Costa (62), Hazard (77).

LEICESTER CITY: Schmeichel 8.5, De Laet 7, Konchesky 6.5, Morgan 6.5, Hammond 8 (Taylor-Fletcher 6.5, 73), King 6.5, Schlupp 7, Mahrez 7.5 (Albrighton 6, 68), Nugent 7, Ulloa 6.5 (Wood 84).
Subs not used: Hamer, Hopper, Knockaert, Wasilewski.
Booking: Hammond (52).

REFEREE: Lee Mason 6.5.
ATTENDANCE: 41,604.

========================

Mirror:

Chelsea 2-0 Leicester:
Costa and Hazard on target as Blues break down spirited visitors

By Dave Kidd

The hosts took their time to get off the mark at Stamford Bridge but ultimately had too much firepower for the Foxes
They are not quite strutting around the Stamford Bridge turf, performing party tricks and whistling Sweet Georgia Brown like the Harlem ­Globetrotters just yet.
They have only defeated two newly-promoted sides in Burnley and Leicester so far.
And their first-half performance was branded ‘lazy’ by Jose Mourinho, who admitted he had to get ‘emotional’ athalf-time to propel them into life.
But there were significant suggestions in the second period that Mourinho may be fashioning a Chelsea team capable of being successful and entertaining in equal measure – very much the Holy Grail of Roman Abramovich.
Diego Costa netted his second goal in as many games, Thibaut Courtois made a critical save from Dave Nugent with the match still scoreless and Cesc Fabregas produced a glorious piece of skill to do Leicester’s Gary Taylor-Fletcher in cold blood late on.
Mourinho, though, was disgruntled at his team’s lethargy in the first half. He said: “I had to be a bit emotional and make them realise it wasn’t good enough.
“Our first half showed clearly that we have to improve. I normally train in the morning but this week we trained at 3pm because I was expecting something like this.
“It’s not the best weather to play football because we get a bit lazy. We passed slow, moved slow and by the time we woke up it was half-time.
“In the second half we were much more aggressive, we won second balls and we were too strong for them.”
Yet Mourinho must be pleased to see his trio of new recruits nicely settled in ahead of next Saturday’s trip to Everton for the first serious test of their title credentials.
They head to Merseyside with cause for cautious optimism. Their first home match of the Abramovich era, 11 years ago, was also against Leicester, in a match which produced three red cards and a winner from Adrian Mutu, who later failed a drugs test.
Chelsea have come a long way since but, save for one halcyon season under Carlo Ancelotti, have never mixed bravura football with trophies.
Abramovich was beaming yesterday with his pal Andrei Shevchenko – one signing that certainly didn’t work out – alongside him in his executive box.
Fernando Torres, that modern-day Shevchenko, did not even make the 18-man squad yesterday, although Mourinho is adamant his £50million striker will not leave before next Monday’s deadline.
Goals from Costa and Eden Hazard sent Chelsea top – and but for a second-half show from Kasper Schmeichel, they may have won by a hatful.
Yet Leicester neutralised them in the first half, carving out the first chance when a turn and shot from Riyad Mahrez forced a save from Courtois.
Costa whistled one over and was then denied by a hard-but-fair Wes Morgan tackle which had ­Mourinho and most of the Bridge screaming for a penalty.
But it was as if Mourinho had simply pressed the fast-forward button; Chelsea doubling their speed and intensity. Oscar curled one against the far post and for a while it was Schmeichel who kept Chelsea at bay. Yet Leicester were always ­threatening.
On 62 minutes, the dam finally broke – Oscar fed Ivanovic, who took out two defenders with one turn and centred for Costa, who chested down and stabbed past Schmeichel. And 13 minutes from time, Oscar cut in from the left and fired in a shot which deflected off Wes Morgan.
There was a cameo from Didier Drogba. But the Ivorian almost looked like a reminder of Chelsea’s more resilient and functional past. The future promises to be rather more easy on the eye.

====================

Express:

Chelsea 2 - Leicester City 0: Diego Costa is just too hot to handle

HOW the Chelsea fans revelled in the riches on show as they stood in noisy appreciation of the pair of strikers they trust will bring the Premier League title back to Stamford Bridge.

Jim Holden

As the new £32million striker Diego Costa walked off the field he stopped to embrace the returning veteran Chelsea hero Didier Drogba, back for the first time in blue.
There were 10 minutes left. The match was won, the team was top of the table, Costa had scored to make it two in two games, and now sight of the giant Drogba gave them an extra surge of joy.
The joint applause grew to a crescendo and the sound will have echoed far and wide, and been heard with crystal clarity by their rivals.
The psychology of the moment is likely to be felt again and again on
so many grounds in the coming months - and is surely exactly what manager Jose Mourinho had in mind when he signed both men in the summer.
It was a lack of goals that ruined Chelsea's title challenge last season. It will not this time.
When the substitution was complete, the crowd chanted a name - and it was that of Costa.
His goal early in the second half settled the anxiety that had filled Stamford Bridge after a tepid opening period and a series of brilliant saves early in the second half by Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
A stunning move down the right flank ended with a cross from Branislav Ivanovic tumbling awkwardly to Costa.
The Spanish striker took it expertly on his chest and rifled a shot into the net.
Costa seems to be the perfect striker for Chelsea - a bullish forward with the requisite speed and touch for a team that is so devastating on the counter-attack.
Most important of all, he scores goals. One chance in the first half was denied by a courageous block from Leicester's admirable captain Wes Brown. His second opportunity was buried.
Mourinho is not surprised about the instant impact of Costa, but he emphatically refuted rumours that the club's other Spanish striker, Fernando Torres would move to Italy.
Torres was not even on the bench yesterday, and is clearly behind Costa and Drogba in the pecking order, but Mourinho said: "He is not going anywhere. There is no chance of that.
"I need three strikers this season and Fernando will play many games and he will score goals."
Time will tell on that front.
Leicester were certainly staunch opponents yesterday - organised in defence, composed on the ball, and all the better for a superb keeper who made two magnificent flying saves to deny a header and a piledriver shot from Ivanovic.
On another day they might have won a point, and striker David Nugent wasted a great chance early in the second half at 0-0 when clear on goal and finding Chelsea's new keeper Thibaut Courtois a formidable presence.
Mourinho said Chelsea had been "lazy in the first half", claiming the coldest August on record was too hot for this players. Even he had the decency to laugh at a risible excuse.
When Chelsea found their fluency after an urgent half-time reminder from an unimpressed manager they were irresistible.
Costa's goal on 63 minutes was followed by a lovely second from Eden Hazard in the 77th minute as the Belgian waltzed in from the left flank and fired a fierce low shot into the net.
They might have scored many more. Schmeichel also made a fingertip save to keep out a delicate chip from Cesc Fabregas, and pushed another shot from Willian over the bar.
Fabregas was relatively quiet on his home debut for Chelsea, but still flourished some exquisite passes. And goalkeeper Courtois was mightily impressive in all his work.
Defeat was expected for Leicester, yet manager Nigel Pearson departed with regrets, saying: "It was a very encouraging performance and I'm disappointed we couldn't convert that into points.
"We showed we are a very capable side with talented players, and the good thing is that we were positive and created chances throughout the game and made their keeper work.
"For the most part we played very well today."
True enough. But you have to take your chances when they come, and that is why Diego Costa will prove so precious for Chelsea.

MAN of MATCH: Branislav Ivanovic - superb work in defence and attack from the ever-reliable full-back.

CHELSEA: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Hazard, Oscar (Willian 69), Schurrle (Ramires 63); Costa (Drogba 80).

LEICESTER: Schmeichel; De Laet, Morgan, Moore, Konchesky; Mahrez (Albrighton 68), King, Hammond (Taylor-Fletcher 73), Schlupp; Ulloa (Wood 84); Nugent.

========================

Star:

Chelsea 2 Leicester 0: Diego Costa fires Blues past Foxes

By Tony Stenson

CHELSEA legend Didier Drogba arrived to a thunderous welcome on his comeback.
But it was dwarfed by the applause for the man he replaced, Chelsea hero Diego Costa.
Even the usually sour-faced owner Roman Abramovich stood and applauded as his £32million new boy left the field late on.
Costa had done his job, scoring for the second successive week and finally easing Chelsea’s nerves.
And if luck wins you titles, then give it to Chelsea now.
It needed Costa’s home debut goal to finally wipe the worried look off boss Jose Mourinho’s face.
Eden Hazard added a 76th-minute second to add another ripple of a smile to Abramovich’s face.
Mourinho said: “We were lazy in the first half, too slow. We were not good enough.
“It needed for me to be emotional at half-time. We were slow, did not do the basic things. We came out a different side.
“We won the second ball but we still have a lot of work to do.
“We are expected to beat the likes of Burnley and Leicester but all credit to them. I say well done. They are two fine sides.
“At 0-0 today Leicester could have won it but for my goalkeeper.
“I had a vision Diego would do well in this league. He doesn’t speak much English but he is a happy person who gives his all.
“Fernando Torres wasn’t on the bench because I wanted to keep the same side that played Burnley.
“He will not be sold. I need two top strikers. We are coming into a period of three games a week and players get injured or suspended. I need him.”
Leicester were a side full of enterprise, power, the ability to defend and in keeper Kasper Schmeichel, they had a true hero.
Chelsea also needed their keeper Thibaut Courtois to prove once again why he has taken over from Petr Cech as he made a number of timely saves.
Leicester defended well, attacked in numbers and would have hurt a lesser side than Chelsea.
Algerian Riyad Mahrez forced Courtois to dive full length to his left to keep out a stinging 32nd-minute shot.
But Costa was a menace, a powerful bull of a man who took time to find his range and when he did, Leicester’s defenders just bounced off him.
Cesc Fabregas found it hard to pull the strings in midfield and only Andre Schurrle offered any menace in attack. Chelsea went into the match having won their last 11 opening league games and have a record of six straight wins over Leicester in all competitions.
The Foxes arrived having not won on any of their last 14 Premier League visits to London grounds.
Their last top-flight victory in the capital was, ironically, at Stamford Bridge, in 2000 when Stan Collymore and Chelsea old boy Muzzy Izzet scored.
They almost did it again yesterday and if David Nugent had kept his nerve in front of goal it could have been a different story before the Blues scored.
There was no Torres on Chelsea’s bench, Mourinho going to ageing Drogba as a back-up striker. Drogba got a loud reception whenever he warmed up on the touchline – something Torres can only dream about.
Oscar finished last season as if his mind was on the World Cup.
He played yesterday like he was still in mourning for Brazil’s semi-final hammering by Germany.
His passing was totally off and it was no surprise when he was substituted by compatriot Willian, who immediately sparked a Chelsea revival.
The home side did not wake up until the second half with Oscar, showing a rare glimpse of form, hitting a post with a decent 47th-minute cross.
And then a minute later Branislav Ivanovic had a header well saved by Schmeichel when he latched on to a Cesar Azpilicueta cross.
Ivanovic, who never gives less than 100 per cent, then had a powerful shot turned out again by Schemichel four minutes later before Leicester ripped through their defence and Nugent, totally unmarked, raced down on goal only for Courtois to deflect his shot wide.
Costa finally made the breakthrough in the 62nd minute when he turned in Ivanovic’s cross from the right.
Then Hazard finally found a bit of magic to score from a difficult angle in the 67th minute.
Leicester boss Nigel Pearson said: “I am disappointed we were unable to convert an encouraging performance into a winning one.
“We created chances throughout the game. We made their keeper work and we didn’t wait to see how Chelsea approached the game.
“We wanted to be positive but as always it is about how efficient you are in both boxes.
“I thought we continued to put in a very honest performance. We didn’t have the quality but there was a lot to enjoy.”

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Burnley 3-1



Independent:

Cesc Fabregas steals the show as Jose Mourinho's men complete comeback at Turf Moor
 
Burnley 1 (Arfield 14) Chelsea 3 (Costa 17, Schurrle 21, Ivanovic 34)
Sam Wallace

Some games are defined by a goal, some a mistake, some hinge on a referee’s decision and it is a rare one indeed when the abiding memory of the night’s toil is a pass - but then there are not many footballers who can pass a ball like Cesc Fabregas.
 
His assist for Andre Schurrle’s goal, Chelsea’s second of the night amid a 17-minute three-goal blitz, was a reminder of the quality of the man who left Arsenal three years ago to play for the team that passes the ball better than any side on the planet. There were 23 passes before the ball fell to the feet of Fabregas, who understands the speed and geometry of the game as well as anyone.
The performance of Fabregas embodied the difference in quality between the two teams. On one side Burnley, with their exclusively British starting XI and on the other Chelsea, with a team assembled from all over the world on the kind of budget that might be enough to acquire Burnley, never mind the players of Burnley FC.
This is the team that Jose Mourinho built, with those he considered expendable gone and every position covered twice. He has Fabregas alongside Nemanja Matic in a formidable midfield partnership, Diego Costa in attack with Didier Drogba on the bench and a new man between the sticks.
Mourinho chose Thibaut Courtois in goal and so it was that on a cool August evening in Lancashire for the first time in a decade, the odd cup game aside, Petr Cech warmed up as the second-choice goalkeeper for Chelsea. If, as it seems, this is the end of an era for a great goalkeeper then it has been a marvellous Chelsea career, but change is afoot.
Mourinho said that he could not guarantee Courtois would be his first choice all season and that he wanted Cech to stay to compete for his place. “I have known Petr for 10 years,” Mourinho said. “I know he will not relax, he will not sit in a chair and say ‘I have no chance’. He will be exactly the opposite. I am expecting him Wednesday to go to the training ground and fight [for his place].”
There were times in the first half when, having gone a goal behind, Chelsea lived up to the vision that Mourinho has for this club. They were so impressive that they might even have lived up to Roman Abramovich’s vision for the club. Fluid and dominant in that first half period in which they broke the home team, they could afford to coast for much of the second half.
Jose Mourinho saw his side produce an impressive performance in their first match of the season Jose Mourinho saw his side produce an impressive performance in their first match of the season  For Burnley there was the consolation goal before Chelsea had scored their three, nicely taken by Scott Arfield. No repeat, however, of the famous 2009 first-day victory over Manchester United at Turf Moor, the only other time they were in the Premier League. In fact it never truly looked on the cards even when they did take the lead, and Turf Moor could sense it. 
Elsewhere in the Chelsea side, the No 8 shirt worn by Frank Lampard for 13 years adorns Oscar. Filipe Luis and Kurt Zouma were both on the bench. Yet, for all the changes it was Fabregas at No 4 who promised the most in this new era.
Arfield needed one touch to control Matt Taylor’s well-placed cut-back from the goal-line on 14 minutes, and one more to send it past Courtois before the goalkeeper had the time to raise a glove in protest. Mourinho’s defence had got themselves in a mess in the build-up with a bad clearing header, and John Terry playing Burnley onside. They got it together quickly.
The equaliser came four minutes later from Costa when Branislav Ivanovic’s cross from the right took a touch off Jason Shackell, hit the post and dropped nicely for the Chelsea striker to score. That precious first goal for Chelsea strikers has not always come swiftly. It took Fernando Torres 14 games to score his first goal for Chelsea in 2011. This one for Costa came within 17 minutes.
 Diego Costa scored on debut and was unlucky to be booked for what was judged to be a dive  It was the second that lingered long in the mind, however, not least for Fabregas’ ball into the path of the goalscorer Schurrle; a first-time pass that unlocked a whole defence. In the closing stages of the move, Eden Hazard carried the ball forward. From there it went out right to Ivanovic and back in to Fabregas who guided it into the path of the German.
The third was a simple finish for Ivanovic running onto Fabregas’ corner, as Burnley threatened to disintegrate. Before then, Michael Oliver had chosen to book Costa for diving, rather than award him a penalty when he went down taking the ball around goalkeeper Tom Heaton on 30 minutes. The full-back Ben Mee had played his goalkeeper into trouble with a disastrous back pass and Costa had beaten Heaton to it.
On initial viewing it looked as if the striker had thrown himself down, but replays showed that Heaton had connected with Costa’s trailing leg. He had looked for the contact and he had found it and it was one of those penalties that had to be given, however reluctant the referee might feel about it.
Mourinho said that Costa had been told what was expected in the Premier League and “what people don’t like to see”. “The kid presents himself here today with a fantastic attitude, a competitive attitude but clean, polite,” he said. “He has a clear penalty and gets a yellow card. The kid was obviously frustrated. I hope he doesn’t get more unfair decisions. I thought Oliver had a good game but the linesman [Stuart Burt] didn’t support him well in that situation.”
It had been a brutal half hour for Burnley before they finally got in for half-time, and to their credit the home team that came out for the second half did not collapse. In fact at times, they put a bit of pressure on the Chelsea goal. Courtois made a good save from another Arfield strike, and Lukas Jutkiewicz had a shot from the left that Danny Ings got the faintest of touches on.
Mourinho brought Willian on for Schurrle with around 14 minutes remaining to shore the game up. There were still moments in the game when the speed of Chelsea’s movement, orchestrated by Fabregas, had Burnley players off-balance and wrong-footed, although they could not manage the ruthlessness in front of goal of the first half.
Drogba came on for the latter stages of the game and he left at the end having thrown his shirt into the away supporters. Drogba has seen some great Chelsea teams over the years and there is the potential in this one to achieve much. “A new team had to be born” was how Mourinho interpreted his task when he returned last summer, and certainly its first step this season look promising.

Burnley (4-2-3-1): Heaton; Trippier, Shackell, Duff, Mee; Arfield, Jones, Marney, Taylor; Ings, Jutkiewicz.      
Subs: Jutkiewicz/Barnes 70; Taylor/Kightly 70, Sordell/Ings 82


Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Schurrle, Oscar, Hazard; Costa.


Subs: Willian/Schurrle 78, Mikel/Oscar 82, Drogba/Hazard 84
Booked: Burnley Sordell Chelsea Costa
Referee: M Oliver
Man of the match: Fabregas
Rating: 6
Attendance: 26,099

===============

Guardian:


Cesc Fábregas inspires Chelsea to opening Premier League win at Burnley
Burnley 1 Chelsea 3


Daniel Taylor at Turf Moor


It turned out to be a deception. Burnley had taken the lead and, briefly, their supporters must have dared wonder whether they would be talking about Scott Arfield’s goal in years to come with the fondness they reserve for Robbie Blake’s finest moment for the club. Then Chelsea snapped them out of their dreams, ruthlessly and brilliantly. It was pass-them-to-death football during that blitz of retaliatory strikes and, by the time they were done, José Mourinho’s team had left the team that came up from the Championship looking in need of smelling salts.
Another side might have been badly affected by that early setback, in a strange environment, with an excitable home crowd. Mourinho’s players simply rolled up their sleeves and set about turning the game upside down. Diego Costa, on his first Premier League start, quickly settled them down with the equaliser. They took the lead four minutes later when André Schürrle finished off a wonderful exchange of passes and they were rampant by the time Branislav Ivanovic added the third. Cesc Fábregas was superb on his re-introduction to English football and there was a vibrancy to Chelsea’s attacking that was not always evident last season.
Sean Dyche, the Burnley manager, talked later about a side “with a touch of arrogance”. He meant it as a compliment and Mourinho’s team could be excused for slacking off in the second half when the game was effectively over as a contest. Chelsea still left the clear impression that the arrival of Costa and, in particular, Fábregas had already improved them.
Dyche can take a flicker of encouragement from the way the team he described as “the biggest underdogs in the history of the league” bared their teeth early on. Unfortunately for them, they also quickly discovered Chelsea are not a side to wilt the moment something goes wrong. “Emotionally we were not affected,” Mourinho said. “We never lost our composure.”
Their response was a reminder to Burnley about the gulf between the sides they now have to face compared with last season. It was a blur of speed and movement and a lesson, too, about what can happen when a team built for £5m bumps into one with a valuation of £190m. Burnley are simply not accustomed to playing sides that move the ball this devastatingly.
Chelsea’s equaliser came within four minutes when Ivanovic broke forward on the right. His low centre took a slight flick off Michael Duff and then went across the goalmouth before coming back off the post. From six yards Costa had his first chance of the evening. He was on the ball in a flash, scoring emphatically with his left foot.
If that carried a touch of good fortune, the next goal left Chelsea’s opponents dizzy. Eden Hazard’s mazy run through the middle started the move. Ivanovic turned the ball into Fábregas and the former Arsenal and Barcelona player clipped a beautifully weighted pass into Schürrle’s path. Schürrle had anticipated what was coming and did not break stride as he stroked the ball past Tom Heaton.
Burnley’s ordeal might have been worse but for the referee, Michael Oliver, deciding Costa had dived when he intercepted Ben Mee’s back-pass in front of Burnley’s goalkeeper. Costa looked appalled, as strikers always do in those moments, but it was only a passing irritation and within three minutes Fábregas had swung over a corner from the left for Ivanovic to volley in Chelsea’s third goal.
For Burnley the first lesson must be that they cannot continue defending this obligingly. The tone was set in the fourth minute when the right-back Kieran Tripper underhit a pass to Heaton and the mistake almost led to Schürrle scoring. Mee was culpable for losing Ivanovic for his goal and Dyche, who talked afterwards about urgently needing to strengthen his squad, must have been startled by the frequency of their lapses.
There are walls at Turf Moor lined with the match reports – “Fergie Tamed” – from that night, the last time they began a Premier League season, when Blake lashed the winning goal into the roof of Manchester United’s net. “Our Turf,” was the message in the claret and blue mosaic in the Jimmy McIlroy Stand and Arfield’s 14th-minute strike fleetingly raised the possibility of another shock. A free transfer from Huddersfield Town last year, Arfield had taken the goal brilliantly, firing through a crowded penalty area to beat the static Thibaut Courtois. After that, however, Burnley did not really test Courtois, on the night he took over from Petr Cech as Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper, until early in the second half when he palmed away another Arfield effort.
Didier Drogba, back at the club where he fits best, came on as a second-half substitute and showed a glimpse of his old gifts, taking down Courtois’s long kick on his knee and volleying a shot just wide with his next touch. Majestic in the first half, comfortable in the second, Chelsea look like a team who mean business

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Telegraph:


Burnley 1 Chelsea 3: Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas inspire Jose Mourinho's side to impressive win


By  Henry Winter, Football Correspondent, Turf Moor


It was scarcely 20 miles away from here, over at Bolton Wanderers, that Cesc Fabregas said farewell to English football in a 2011 defeat with Arsenal.
He returned to the Premier League in style on Monday night, orchestrating victory on his Chelsea debut, showing why Jose Mourinho’s side are such heavyweight challengers for the title, and producing one particularly breathtaking touch that was a privilege to bear witness to.
It came after 21 minutes with the score at 1-1, Diego Costa having equalised Scott Arfield’s shock opener. As a blue pyro spread smoke from in front of the David Fishwick Stand housing the Chelsea fans, their team scored a goal of total beauty down the other end, a move accelerated by Fabregas in midfield and which he was to embellish even more.
As Eden Hazard took up the running, dribbling through Burnley’s midfield, Fabregas ghosted towards the edge of the area. Hazard laid the ball right to Branislav Ivanovic, who spotted that Fabregas was unmarked. Ivanovic stroked the ball inside and Fabregas’s response sent Chelsea fans into raptures and professionals, past and present, posting eulogies on Twitter.
The joy of Cesc’s touch was not simply the deft technique, the cushioning of the ball; it was also Fabregas’s awareness of André Schürrle’s run. The German advanced on to a ball so tempting that it should have come with a gilt edge and embossed with the word INVITATION. Schürrle calmly drove it past Tom Heaton.
Premier League audiences have been treated to many sumptuous assists down the years, a couple of gems including Steven Gerrard’s pass with the outside of the boot to John Arne Riise at Highbury in 2002, a delivery that totally bemused Arsenal, and Dennis Bergkamp’s threaded pass to Freddie Ljungberg against Bolton the same year. Fabregas’s assist was in that elevated category.
As Chelsea waved a banner reading “Cesc is blue”, the Spaniard graced central midfield, alongside Nemanja Matic but with licence to roam forward. He kept taking the ball on the half-turn, always happy to take possession when under pressure, slipping away from Burnley markers, always with his head up looking for team-mates’ movement.
Fabregas’s desire to impress after a frustrating time used out of position at Barcelona is considerable, giving Chelsea further confidence that they can wrest the Premier League title from Manchester City. No wonder Jose Mourinho was so keen to bring him in.
“I know clearly what the player is because we were so long in the same league,’’ said Mourinho. “He moved to Spain also so for the last 10 years we have been in the same league for six or seven. I know exactly what he will bring. For Barcelona he was the fake nine, the No 10 and winger but I know and he knows what is his best position so he is giving exactly what we need. Quick thinking in midfield. He brings people in the same direction. I am really happy.
“I agree with Cesc being man of the match because he and Matic controlled the game and dictated the intensity of the game. They decided how to control the pace. They were both good brains in this team and I am happy with that because last season we could not control the game as we controlled today.”
This was an important win for Chelsea, not simply to keep pace with the three other contenders for the title, Arsenal, Liverpool and City, but also to prove they could dismiss less celebrated opponents, a costly issue last season. Burnley caused them trouble, especially the excellent Arfield, who kept running at Chelsea’s defence. If Burnley play all season with the depth of belief espoused by Arfield, they have a chance of staying up.
When Matthew Taylor cut the ball back from the left after 14 minutes, Chelsea were far too sluggish in closing down Arfield. He controlled the ball with his right, instantly killing the momentum. As Gary Cahill ventured towards him, Arfield was too quick, sending the ball looping at speed past Thibaut Courtois.
But the newcomers to the Premier League were then swept away by Chelsea’s new boys. Within three minutes of Arfield’s strike, Costa levelled. Fabregas flicked the ball to Ivanovic, whose cross from the right clipped Heaton’s right-hand upright and dropped obligingly to Costa. His finish was unerring, the ball driven into the net. Chelsea have the line-leading forward they need; now they must keep Costa fit. Four minutes later, Fabregas teed up Schürrle.
Chelsea were then understandably frustrated that Costa was then cautioned by Michael Oliver for diving; lurking on the off-chance that Ben Mee would underhit his back pass, Costa was definitely caught by Heaton but clearly maximised the contact. The fact remains that he was caught, that it would have been a free-kick to Chelsea anywhere else on the field, and that Costa was unlucky to be booked.
Refusing to be distracted by the injustice, Chelsea simply took their annoyance out on Burnley’s defence. Michael Duff conceded a corner, that Fabregas curled into the six-yard box for Ivanovic to volley home. It was wretched marking by Burnley.
Chelsea fans went through their song book, singing about Steven Gerrard’s costly slip last season, about Dennis Wise scoring at the San Siro and also saluting Courtois. “Thibaut, Thibaut, give us a wave,’’ they chanted. It felt a significant moment in Chelsea’s history, a watershed for the Blues.
Petr Cech has served Chelsea so well but time waits for no man. Chelsea also risked losing Courtois if he was not given his chance after excelling on loan at Atlético Madrid. Cech may be wise to respond to Paris St-Germain’s interest; Courtois already looks established. He was commanding coming off his line to take crosses, and then threw himself athletically to his right to keep out a second-half Arfield shot.
Chelsea fans were also saluting two long-serving players who left in the summer. They sang about Ashley Cole winning the European Cup, and about “Super Frankie Lampard”; so much for any bitterness about his current switch to Manchester City en route to New York. There was even time for Didier Drogba to come on, and then throw his shirt into the crowd. So many positives for Chelsea, the list headed by “that” pass from Fabregas.

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Times:

Impressive Cesc Fàbregas sets rhythm after night starts on flat note

Oliver Kay Chief Football Correspondent
Burnley 1 Chelsea 3


In the past three seasons at Barcelona, the club he regarded as his spiritual home, Cesc Fàbregas never truly felt the anticipated sense of belonging. Perhaps, after all, he is more at ease on the Barclays Premier League stage, to which he made a highly accomplished return last night in the unfamiliar blue shirt of Chelsea.
True, there are more daunting stages than Turf Moor and more demanding opponents than Burnley, but you will not see many players look so comfortable in a new team so quickly as Fàbregas appeared last night. His sublime pass to lay on Chelsea’s second goal, for Andre Schürrle, was the undisputed highlight of the game — indeed it could end up as a highlight of the whole season — but all evening Fàbregas’s performance oozed a fluent quality that Chelsea have lacked in possession over recent seasons.
At times in the first half, it almost seemed cruel on Burnley. Having dared to take an early lead through Scott Arfield, Sean Dyche’s team simply could not cope with the speed and precision with which Chelsea re-established command. Twenty minutes after falling behind, Chelsea were 3-1 up, Diego Costa and Branislav Ivanovic scoring either side of that exquisite Fàbregas-Schürrle link-up, and briefly it seemed as if Burnley might be subjected to a rout on their return to the Premier League.
As it transpired, Chelsea settled at three and Dyche, known locally as “the Ginger Mourinho”, received some kind words about his team from the visiting manager. Mourinho, the original version, was delighted by just about every aspect of his team’s performance: their response to falling behind, the quality of their passing, the ruthlessness of their finishing, the professionalism with which they closed out the victory and the assured debuts from Thibaut Courtois, Costa and above all Fàbregas.
If the speed of Fàbregas’s reintegration to English football is no surprise, perhaps that just illustrates why the former Arsenal captain represented that rare thing: a low-risk, high-class acquisition.
“When the player is your first choice, it is difficult to make a mistake,” Mourinho said. “Fàbregas was our first choice for that position. I know clearly what the player is because we were so long in the same league. I knew exactly what he would bring. I know and he knows his best position, so he is giving exactly what we need: quick-thinking in midfield.”
It was sluggishness of movement in the Chelsea defence, though, that Burnley exploited in the 14th minute. The goal came after Chelsea failed to clear their lines from a corner and were slow to react when the ball was sent back out to Matthew Taylor on the left-hand side. Taylor was given the time and space to line up his cross, cleverly looking beyond the congested six-yard box and picking out Arfield on the edge of the penalty area. Arfield, again, was afforded too much time and space, lining up a right-foot shot that flew past Courtois and into the roof of the Chelsea net.
Briefly, very briefly, Burnley’s supporters contemplated a repeat of the previous occasion that top-tier football returned to this corner of east Lancashire. Five years ago today, in their first top-flight game at Turf Moor since 1976, Burnley beat Manchester United 1-0 on an evening that the locals remember as fondly for Brian Jensen’s goalkeeping heroics as for Robbie Blake’s spectacular winning goal.
Chelsea’s players, though, dusted themselves down and started again. Within three minutes they had restored parity. After a patient build-up, the pace quickened on the edge of the Burnley penalty area. Fàbregas played a back-heel to the overlapping Ivanovic, whose cross was knocked against the frame of the Burnley goal by Jason Shackell, stretching in desperation. The rebound fell to Costa, who eagerly took the opportunity to score his first goal in English football.
Another four minutes passed before that superb second Chelsea goal. This time there were 24 passes in the build-up, the last of them stunning. Receiving the ball from Ivanovic just outside the Burnley penalty area, in a central position, Fàbregas clipped an exquisite first-time pass into the path of Schürrle, who followed a perfectly timed run with a crisp finish to make it 2-1.
No doubt Dyche had prepared his players, mentally as well as tactically, for how to react in the event of falling behind, but for ten minutes or more Burnley looked ragged, adding to their problems with some careless defending. Ben Mee, the left back, was having a particularly tough time, struggling with the speed of Ivanovic and Schürrle, attacking down his flank.
After half an hour, Mee underhit a back-pass, which was anticipated and intercepted by Costa. The Chelsea forward took the ball around Heaton and was felled by the goalkeeper’s sprawling challenge. Rather than award a penalty, Michael Oliver, the referee, booked Costa for diving — harsh on the Chelsea forward and a let-off for Burnley.
Respite for the home team was short-lived. On 34 minutes, Fàbregas claimed another assist, this time with a corner kick that was inexplicably missed by Burnley’s defenders at the near post and converted at knee height by Ivanovic, left unmarked in the six-yard box.
At times the gulf in quality looked as great as the two teams’ respective transfer outlays and wage bills would imply, but Burnley acquitted themselves well after half-time without seriously threatening to claw back the deficit. Danny Ings and Lukas Jutkiewicz showed promise in attack, but the main threat remained Arfield, whose curling shot was well saved by Courtois early in the second period.
In reality, the second half became a non-event — something that tends to delight Mourinho when his teams have established a comfortable winning margin — and notable only for the introduction of Didier Drogba, to the acclaim of the Chelsea fans.
There were also songs of adulation for two departed legends, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard, but the away supporters already had a new idol to laud. To the discomfort of Arsenal fans everywhere, Cesc Fàbregas is already looking good in Chelsea blue.

Burnley (4-4-2): T Heaton — K Trippier, M Duff, J Shackell, B Mee — S Arfield, D Marney, D Jones, M Taylor (sub: M Kightly, 70min) — L Jutkiewicz (sub: A Barnes, 70), D Ings (sub: M Sordell, 82). Substitutes not used: M Gilks, K Long, C Dummigan, R Wallace. Booked: Sordell.


Chelsea (4-2-3-1): T Courtois — B Ivanovic, G Cahill, J Terry, C Azpilicueta — F Fàbregas, N Matic — A Schürrle (sub: Willian, 78), Oscar (sub: J O Mikel, 82), E Hazard (sub: D Drogba, 84) — D Costa. Substitutes not used: P Cech, Filipe Luis, K Zouma, F Torres. Booked: Costa.
Referee: M Oliver.

How Chelsea’s new boys shaped up
Thibaut Courtois
 Could hardly be faulted for Burnley’s goal, a rasping shot from Arfield, and looked assured thereafter, including a fine save from the same player in the second half.
Cesc Fàbregas
 The high point of his Chelsea debut was that sublime assist for the second goal, but he was highly impressive in everything he did.
Diego Costa
 His goal was straightforward, but Mourinho will be more satisfied by the forward’s workrate and all-round display. Harshly booked for diving when clipped.

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Burnley 1-3 Chelsea: Diego Costa, Andre Schurrle and Branislav Ivanovic goals give Jose Mourinho's side victory at Turf Moor
By Martin Samuel


Some will cite the financial gulf between the teams, others the technical divide, but the bottom line problem for Burnley on Monday night was that they had not seen anything like this. There were moments, the second goal in particular, when Chelsea took their football to a new level of excellence under Jose Mourinho, second time around. And dealing with that must be very unnerving for a group of players fresh to the Premier League.
Only Michael Duff has survived at Turf Moor from the last time Burnley were part of the elite. He is 36. Of course, the increased challenge of the Premier League is only to be expected. But nothing could prepare Sean Dyche’s team for the moment when the full potential of players like Eden Hazard, Andre Schurrle and Cesc Fabregas was unleashed. They won’t have been confronted by the terrifying reality of a Champions League elite team before. They won’t have faced a mind as nimble as that of Fabregas, a full-back as dangerous as Branislav Ivanovic, or a finisher as clinical as Diego Costa. The Championship, we are frequently told, is a tough league – but not tough like this. Not in a way that challenges mentally, physically, technically, like the Premier League at its best. Burnley won’t have been confronted by a run like the one produced by Hazard for the second goal, or the pass delivered by Fabregas moments later.
It was the second goal that drove the message home, while also making clear the change in Chelsea season on season. It was more than just a thing of beauty. It was a ten-second showcase of all the damage that Mourinho’s little horse can now do, the new variations to Chelsea’s play, the many layers to their game. It comprised a scintillating dribble from Hazard, an intelligent overlap by Ivanovic, a killer pass from Fabregas, and a finish from Schurrle that brought memories of balmy nights in Brazil to a wet Burnley in the dwindling warmth of an English summer.
Schurrle deserves enormous credit for the timing of his run, but it was only given meaning by the perfect ambition of Fabregas’ pass. He could have shot, he could have attempted something easier. Instead he went eye of the needle through Burnley’s startled defence. Will Arsene Wenger regret not taking up the option on Fabregas’ return? If so, he will be too stubborn to admit it, no doubt. Carry on like this, however, and the evidence will be overwhelming. Fabregas was Chelsea’s best player – even contributing a cheeky back-heel to the build-up to the first goal as well as the corner for the third. Like Ivanovic, he was involved in all three.
Yet it was the second that will live in the memory. It is too early to talk of goals of the season, obviously, but the reaction around Turf Moor suggested the consequences of promotion suddenly got very real in the 21st minute. As for Dyche’s team, it took them until close to half-time to recover.
The immediate aftermath was a succession of errors, culminating in a third Chelsea goal and including a passage of play that should have ended in a Chelsea penalty, but instead brought a booking for Diego Costa. More than icy wind and rain in mid-August, that was his welcome to the Premier League.
The controversy occurred in the 30th minute when left back Ben Mee, perhaps rattled by the second goal he had just witnessed, played a woeful back pass to goalkeeper Tom Heaton that died halfway and was pounced on by Costa. Heaton came charging from his line, threw himself at the advancing striker and Costa fell, perhaps dramatically. At first glance it looked a penalty, on the replay contact appeared minimal, if it happened at all. Yet here’s the rub. Undoubtedly, there is no way Costa could have continued his run given Heaton’s challenge. He had to jump, and lose control of the ball. Yes, he appeared to exaggerate his tumble on the other side, but how can it be fair that a goalkeeper can come out as madly as Heaton did, and end up as the wronged party? Costa looked incredulous as referee Michael Oliver brandished his yellow card with utmost pomposity. Maybe he should have let Heaton take him out, maybe break a leg. Would that have seen justice done?
If Chelsea were feeling hard done by, their grudging mood was not allowed to fester long. Just two further minutes had elapsed when they established an unassailable lead. Fabregas took the corner from the left and Burnley’s back line were guilty of quite appalling marking, allowing Ivanovic to run into the six-yard box unmarked and meet the ball on the volley for a simple conversion. Burnley’s defensive work would not have passed muster in League Two, let alone in this rarefied atmosphere. Turf Moor fell uncommonly silent. It was going to be a long night; perhaps a long season.
If there is consolation it is that few teams in the Premier League have Chelsea’ s imagination, firepower and invention. Manchester United are here next in the Premier League, and they are certainly not in Chelsea’s class yet. Burnley can also take solace from having struck the first blow, with a quite magnificent goal after 14 minutes. More of that, and they might be alright.
The way the home team recycled a headed clearance – a lovely pass from midfield picking out Matthew Taylor on the left, making an intelligent run that flummoxed Chelsea’s offside trap – was certainly Premier League standard. Even more so, the way Taylor assessed the situation and cut back the perfect pass to Scott Arfield on the edge of the penalty area.
Arfield, a free transfer from Huddersfield Town, typifies the wealth gap between these clubs, yet his finish would not have looked out of place in Chelsea blue – a lovely shot, powerful and perfectly placed, reducing the much-vaunted Thibaut Courtois to the status of observer in goal.
That it served only to rile Chelsea was perhaps unfortunate. Having made a relatively slow start – a deflected shot by Schurrle had been their only attempt at goal – they suddenly sprang to life. Within three minutes, Ivanovic burst down the right flank – the beleaguered Mee having a difficult time of it again – and his cross eluded all in the penalty area, including goalkeeper Heaton. The ball struck the foot of the far post and rebounded into the path of Costa. A £32m striker does not miss from there. To be fair there are a few over Hackney Marshes who could have had a fair swing at it. Even so, Costa’s decisiveness was impressive. No attempt to finesse, no gilding the lily. He looked up and – bang – Chelsea were level.
It is to Burnley’s credit that even after the third had gone in, they were not done. Danny Ings had a volley from a Taylor cross go wide moments before half-time, and another shot saved by Courtois soon after. Yet the outcome was never in doubt. One imagined that if Burnley had drawn close, Chelsea would have simply swept down the other end and restored logic to the scoreline. The gap between the teams only reflected the gap on the balance sheet. Chelsea’s team was worth close to £200m more, and you get what you pay for these days.
So the first round of matches ends with Chelsea on top. Ominous, that. Jose Mourinho is a front-runner and his previous title wins at Stamford Bridge were a procession. This season? Well, start as you mean to go on seemed to be the motto here. On this form, they will take some stopping.
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Express:

Burnley 1 - Chelsea 3: Romance turfed out as Burnley are given a reality check by Chelsea


THERE is only so much time for romance in the modern Premier League.
By: John Dillon


Just three minutes, in fact, were allowed at Turf Moor last night before Chelsea wiped out the briefly flickering fancies of Burnley and spelled out a message of class and authority which will probably last all season long.
The first league table has been compiled. Even though it is only one match old, Chelsea first and Manchester City second may well still be the shape of things come next May.
Three goals inside 17 minutes, after Burnley had taken a shock 13th-minute lead, and performances brimming with quality from men like Cesc Fabregas, Andre Schurrle and Nemanja Matic spelled out the ominous message Jose Mourinho wants to transmit throughout the second season of his return to Stamford Bridge.
There was also a debut goal from the new striker, Diego Costa, which equalised the stunning opener from Scott Arfield.
There was never going to be an upset after that, though. Chelsea simply cruised back into command and now the shape of the season may have already been set.
Nobody at Burnley had any illusions about the season-long battle which surely awaits them.
It is difficult to avoid being patronising when their stature is discussed. But surely, they will enjoy the adventure, whatever happens.
For Mourinho, there is no such leeway on offer. No coach survives two seasons at Stamford Bridge without delivering silverware.
After his barren first season back in command, the Russian owner Roman Abramovich is surely thinking in terms of the title and the Champions League, rather than sideshow trophies.
For that reason, £32million signing Costa came here on this rain-lashed evening as the standard bearer of the team Mourinho says he has now re-built to his satisfaction.
The Portuguese Prince of the dug-out made another big statement when he selected Thibaut Courtois in goal ahead of Petr Cech.
It required no more than 13 minutes of this initially thumping night in Lancashire for the Belgian Courtois to experience the feeling of conceding his first Premier League goal.
It took no longer than three more minutes, however, for Costa to equalise Arfield’s powerful opening goal, which had sent the place into an unexpectedly early bout of ecstasy.
Mourinho would surely have been angered by the hesitancy which infected his defence after a cleared corner was returned to Burnley’s Matt Taylor, who had surged into space on the left.
When the resulting cross found Arfield at the edge of the box, he struck the ball emphatically to curl it around the leaping Gary Cahill and past Courtois. This was the stuff of small-town dreams, but the delirium was brief.
German World Cup winner Schurrle instigated Chelsea’s first threat with a wickedly dipping shot in the fourth minute, which whipped just past Tom Heaton’s right-hand post.
Three minutes after Arfield struck, Branislav Ivanovic got forward to direct a cross from the right which drifted across the home team’s six-yard box to strike the opposite post. It then fell invitingly for Costa to tuck home from six yards.
Chelsea were ahead after 21 minutes when Fabregas showed how important he will be to Mourinho’s new plans, delivering a classy, deft touch from the edge of the box which sent Schurrle bounding forward to finish smoothly.
On both counts, this move was a dramatic illustration to Burnley of the standards they must take on during the coming nine months. It also made plain why Chelsea have been installed as the title favourites.
By the 33rd minute, romance appeared to have fled the place, with Ivanovic touching in Chelsea’s third goal direct from Fabregas’s left-wing corner.
Despite the gulf, there was no diminishing of Burnley’s spirit. Arfield showed it in the 48th minute when he looped in another tricky shot from the edge of the box.
This time, Courtois scrambled to push it away. The fairy-tale upset stuff is meant only for cup ties these days. It seemed that the pattern of the Premier League season to come was spelled out here – for both teams.
Burnley (4-4-2): Heaton; Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Mee; Arfield, Marney, Jones, Taylor (Kightly 70); Jutkiewicz (Barnes 70), Ings (Sordell 82). Booked: Sordell. Goal: Arfield 14. NEXT UP: Swansea (a) Sat, PL.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilcueta; Fabregas, Matic; Schurrle (Willian 78), Oscar (Mikel 82), Hazard (Drogba 83); Costa. Booked: Costa. Goals: Costa 17, Schurrle 21, Ivanovic 34. NEXT UP: Leicester (h) Sat, PL.
Referee: M Oliver (Northumberland).

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Star:
Jose has Fab start as Chelsea cruise past Burnley
By Chris McKenna

And the £30m summer signing from Barcelona showed his genius last night on a stunning return to England for the former Arsenal midfielder.
Fabregas was a shock signing for the Blues as the ex-Gunner was reportedly turned down by his old boss Arsene Wenger and also Manchester United.
And his dazzling debut for Chelsea makes that decision look even more mind-boggling for the transfer thinkers at those clubs, especially the creativity-starved United.
But their loss is Chelsea’s brain gain and Fabregas’ quick-thinking helped create all three Blues’ goals as they came from behind to spoil Burnley’s big return to the top flight.
It had all started so well for the Clarets when Scott Arfield fired them into an early lead.
Everything about this game’s opening moments rekindled memories of the Clarets’ first ever Premier League game at Turf Moor back in 2009.
The atmosphere was deafening and intimidating as the home fans held up a mosaic reading “Our Turf” when the teams walked out.
There was an early warning for Jose Mourinho’s side amid the frantic start that the team led by the man dubbed the “Ginger Mourinho” were up for this.
Summer signing Lukas Jutkiewicz waltzed through the Chelsea defence right in front of the visiting supporters before lashing a shot into the side netting for Sean Dyche’s men.
But in the 14th minute, the noise level somehow went up at this character-filled Lancashire ground when Arfield rifled in the stunning opener.
A cross from Matt Taylor after Chelsea failed to clear a corner found the former Huddersfield Town man and he blasted in.
For Burnley it felt like this could be a night similar to when Robbie Blake scored the stunner that shocked United in 2009.
But Chelsea were in no mood to allow themselves to be forever in Burnley folklore like United and were level just three minutes later.
While a free signing from Huddersfield scored Burnley’s opener, a £32m man from Atletico Madrid got Chelsea’s just to remind everyone of the gulf in spending between the two.
Ivanovic’s cross, after a brilliant back heel from Fabregas, was deflected onto the post by Michael Duff, but Diego Costa was on hand to power in the rebound and grab a debut goal.
Burnley’s dream start then turned into a nightmare when the Blues took the lead in the 21st minute.
Mourinho ‘brains’ claim before the game was given the perfect case study when Fabregas provided a stunning pass to slice open the Burnley back line and set up Andre Schurrle.
Ivanovic pinged a ball across and the Spaniard showed his football intelligence to play a first time pass on the volley into the German international, who then beat the offside trap before sliding home.
Chelsea could have had a penalty on the half hour mark when a misplaced back pass from Ben Mee fell into the path of the ever-threatening Costa, but the Spain striker was booked by referee Michael Oliver for diving.
The Blues would not have to wait long for the third as Fabregas sprinkled yet more magic on his return to the Premier League after a three-year hiatus at Barcelona.
The former Arsenal midfielder swung in a dangerous corner and Ivanovic skipped past his marker to volley home in the 34th minute.
The euphoria that had swept around Turf Moor early on was long gone, as the Spanish flair from Fabregas strangled the life out of the previously buoyant atmosphere.
The Clarets fans were given a brief bit of hope when Arfield curled goalwards soon after the break, but Thibaut Courtois proved Blues boss Mourinho right for picking him over Petr Cech with a superb save.
The Belgium keeper may have done better with Burnley’s goal, but the composure shown on a number of occasions to collect crosses as the hosts tried unsuccessfully to create from wide was impressive.
With chances for both drying up, there was time for the late introduction of Didier Drogba for his second Chelsea debut but there was no need for any drama for the man who has provided so much.
The starting line-up worth almost £200m eased past the £5m side.
The £32m of that spent on Costa has been seen by many as the signing that will get the goals that cost Chelsea the title last season.
But there has to be someone there to provide for Costa and co, and the £30m splashed out on Fabregas may prove Mourinho’s mind is as sharp as his creative midfielder.

BURNLEY (4-4-2): Heaton; Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Mee; Taylor (Kightly 70), Marney, Jones, Arfield; Ings (Sordell 82), Jutkiewicz (Barnes 70). Subs: Gilks, Dummigan, Long, Wallace, Sordell.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Fabregas, Matic; Schurrle (Willian 74), Oscar (Mikel 82), Hazard (Drogba 84); Costa. Subs: Cech, Zouma, Filipe Luis, Mikel, Torres, Drogba.
Referee: Michael Oliver