Maresca’s 50th Chelsea PL game seals a brisk 2-0 win at Burnley

Milestone and Result

Enzo Maresca, Chelsea's manager, reached his 50th Premier League game in charge as Chelsea faced Burnley away. The Blues returned from Turf Moor with a valuable 2-0 victory on Saturday, opening the 12th round of the league.

The opening goal came from Pedro Neto in the 37th minute, and captain Enzo Fernandez added a late second in stoppage time to seal the win for Chelsea.

According to Opta statistics, Maresca’s record stands at 50 league games for Chelsea, with 27 wins, 11 draws and 12 losses.

In those 50 matches, Chelsea have scored 87 goals and conceded 54, keeping 17 clean sheets along the way.

Chelsea also extended their away-winning streak in the Premier League to three, netting three straight wins away from home without conceding, the first time since November 2021, with a 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest, a 1-0 win at Tottenham, and a 2-0 win at Burnley.

Among Chelsea players, Jimi Getens has provided more assists across all competitions this season than any other teammate, and all his assists came in his last four starts. His feed for Neto today was his first in the Premier League.

Opta notes an unusual stat line: some players have reached 10+ league goals under managers who share their name, including Enzo Fernandez under Enzo Maresca (19 goals) according to the data.

Chelsea have now won eight consecutive Premier League matches, extending their momentum as they sit second with 23 points, while Burnley stay on 10 points in 17th place.

Lineups, Key Moments and Tactics

In the buildup, Chelsea shook up their starting XI: Ecuadorian Moisés Caicedo started on the bench after the international break, with youngster André Santos stepping into midfield. Captain Reece James, winger Jimi Getens, defender Tosin Adarabioyo, and a return for Trevor Chalobah tightened the defensive shape, while Malo Gusto and Alejandro Garnacho dropped to the bench and Wes Fofana missed out through injury.

Burnley lined up with little change from their previous match, while Armando Broja, back from injury, sat on the bench against his former club.

The first half began with Burnley pressing Chelsea high and dangerous in wide areas. In the 7th minute, Burnley produced a dangerous ball behind Chelsea’s defense that Chauna turned and fired toward goal, only for Chalobah to make a decisive intervention on the line. Two minutes later, Liam Delap tested the keeper with a long-range effort for Chelsea; it drifted wide. The London side also faced moments of danger and had to endure several tight challenges, notably with the on-ball pressure targeting Chelsea’s left flank and direct balls into the box.

Just before the break, Chelsea found their moment of quality. Jimi Getens delivered a cross to the far post, Neto rose highest and headed past the keeper, giving Chelsea a 1-0 lead at halftime.

Second half, Chelsea grew into the game. In the 47th minute, João Pedro forced a strong save from the Burnley goalkeeper, while Getens threatened again in the 58th minute with a curling effort that required a corner. In the 63rd minute, Neto unleashed a powerful drive from a tight angle and hit the post, a warning moment for Burnley.

Four minutes later, Maresca made a notable change, bringing Malo Gusto on and shifting Enzo Fernandez into a more advanced playmaking role behind João Pedro, as Delap dropped deeper on the right. The alteration added width and kept Chelsea’s attacking balance intact.

Burnley had a rare bright moment in the 69th minute when a long ball found Fleming in a promising position, but his shot sailed over the bar. Chelsea pushed on, and the game opened up with late counter-attacks. In the 88th minute, Neto initiated a rapid move down the right, fed Mark Gueyo who advanced into the box and found Enzo Fernandez at the edge of the box with a precise pass. Fernandez finished low into the bottom corner to seal the 2-0 win.

The result keeps Chelsea in a strong position and underscores Maresca’s growing influence as he approaches his 50th league appearance in charge.

Punchline 1: If Maresca can keep this up, Burnley might start charging Chelsea rent for all the goals they’ve rented out the Turf Moor net. Punchline 2: At this rate, the press conference will need a bigger trophy shelf and a calendar for the away days—Chelsea just keep collecting 'half-centuries' like loyalty stamps.