This was the moment when Romelu Lukaku’s absence with a twisted ankle caught up with Chelsea. The game could hardly have been more one-sided and yet Thomas Tuchel’s side somehow found a way to blow it, their profligacy punished when Matej Vydra came off the bench to burgle a late point for Sean Dyche’s defiant Burnley side.

The frustration was immense for Tuchel, who knew that his side only had themselves to blame. Chelsea finished with 25 shots, seven of them coming inside the first 15 minutes alone, but only one of them went past Burnley’s goalkeeper, Nick Pope. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ross Barkley and Kai Havertz were guilty of some poor misses and the longer it stayed 1-0, the likelier it became that Burnley would find a way to make the European champions pay for failing to make the most of their dominance.

Burnley, two points below Leeds in 17th place, could hardly believe their luck. It should have turned into a rout once Havertz had given Chelsea a half-time lead with his first goal in the league since August; instead it ended up as a reminder of why Tuchel bought Lukaku for £97.5m last summer. The former Internazionale striker surely would have finished Burnley off before half-time and while Chelsea have coped well without him since his injury against Malmo earlier this month, they will be glad to have him available again after the international break.

Chelsea, their lead over Manchester City at the top now only three points, had threatened to overwhelm Burnley during the early stages. The tone was set by Hudson-Odoi ripping down the right flank during the early stages to test Pope, who was soon plunging down to his left to push Havertz’s glancing header away, and the only mystery was how Burnley managed to last 33 minutes before succumbing.

The tension grew after misses from Andreas Christensen, Reece James, Antonio Rüdiger and Barkley, Tuchel erupting when Chelsea were not awarded a free-kick midway through the half. Barkley had collided with James Tarkowski near the halfway line and Tuchel descended into full Basil Fawlty mode after seeing the referee, Andre Marriner, looked the other way, leaping around his technical area before exchanging a few angry words with the Burnley bench.

At times it was more competitive on the touchline than on the pitch. Tuchel’s assistants were engaged in a running back and forth with Dyche’s coaching staff for much of the first half and for a while there was a sense that Chelsea were drifting, their dominance becoming a little sterile as Burnley began to sit deep and smother their attacks with their organisation and work rate.

Chelsea had to be patient. They kept probing, Jorginho and N’Golo Kanté rotating the ball in midfield, Burnley escaping again when Pope denied James. Then Havertz stirred, cutting out a wayward pass before using his lean frame to hold off a challenge on the left, storm down the left and cross, only for his momentum to take him over the advertising hoardings behind the goal and into the crowd.

There were a few anxious moments before Havertz emerged, looking a little groggy after receiving some treatment, but the blow seemed to do him some good. He returned ready for battle and soon had a reward for his endeavour, giving Chelsea the lead when he crept between Ben Mee and Tarkowski before meeting James’s beautiful cross with an accurate low header.

Chelsea looked to build on Havertz’s fourth goal of the season. They should have pulled clear at the start of the second half. Thiago Silva nodded against the woodwork and Havertz was wasteful after fine work from Hudson-Odoi on the right, firing over from close range when it looked easier to score.

More chances came and went. Hudson-Odoi dribbled through before being denied by Pope. Jorginho’s goalbound drive was headed away. Barkley, making his first league start of the season, smashed a shot over before making way for Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

The repeated let-offs gave Burnley confidence. They pushed forward and almost equalised when the substitute, Jay Rodriguez, headed just wide at the near post. The warning signs were clear and Chelsea paid the price when Ashley Westwood crossed, Rodriguez headed on and Vydra lifted the loose ball over Edouard Mendy.

Tuchel could not believe what he was watching. He responded by throwing on Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount, but Chelsea had completely lost their way as an attacking force. How they missed Lukaku.

© Observer