Chelsea vs. Burnley: Score, Grades and Reaction from 2015 Premier League

Chelsea stumbled to a 1-1 draw at home to Burnley on Saturday, giving Manchester City the chance to close the gap at the top of the table when they play host to Newcastle United on Saturday evening.

A Branislav Ivanovic goal saw the Blues lead for the great majority of the fixture, but Nemanja Matic's sending off in the second half gave Burnley their opportunity to draw level, Chelsea's official Twitter account confirming the result:

The Clarets made the trip to west London with just a single win in their last 10 outings across all competitions, but Sean Dyche could look to capitalise on Chelsea's packed schedule.

Jose Mourinho's side returned to home soil this week after claiming a 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League round-of-16 tie, but there were few signs of any hangover.

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It took the Stamford Bridge hosts only 14 minutes to open the scoring on Saturday afternoon, and Ivanovic again rose to the role of hero for Mourinho.

Having netted against PSG, the right-back got in a superb position to convert Eden Hazard's mazy run into Burnley territory, with Squawka detailing what a prolific asset he's been to the west Londoners of late:

For Mourinho's men, scoring goals in great number has been something of a weakness recently, beating Aston Villa and Everton by slim margins.

And once again, building on their initial lead seemed something of a concern for Chelsea. Dyche's visitors refused to simply sit back and take their punishment, with Pat Nevin of BBC Radio 5Live pointing out Chelsea's vulnerability:

It's no surprise that Chelsea's drop in attacking potency has coincided with Diego Costa's own fall in form, and again the Spanish international couldn't cut out the clear opportunities in front of goal he would have wanted.

As the fixture waged on, Costa actually took on a more provisional role as opposed to concentrating solely on his own chances in front of goal, attempting to get winter signing Juan Cuadrado firing:

The second half produced much of the same from both sides as Chelsea accounted for a bulk of the possession but were struggling to make it tell, Hazard and Fabregas figuring as the hosts' main weapons.

By and large, Burnley held a great account of their defensive ability, though, and isolated Mourinho's stars to a point that the home outfit was frustrating itself attempting to rush play.

And that patience finally paid off when, with half an hour remaining, Matic saw red after reacting harshly to a challenge from Ashley Barnes that he felt warranted punishment:

The one-man advantage was precisely what Burnley needed to work their way further into Blues territory, and it wasn't long before the full-strength side made it count.

Ben Mee latched on to a Kieran Trippier cross in the 81st minute, heading home a late equaliser that salvaged a deserved point for the relegation candidates against the title favourites, per the BBC's John Bennett:

For the final minutes, Burnley looked to even increase their goal tally, but a point would be all Dyche's men could take from Stamford Bridge, a mammoth prize in itself.

Mourinho's side has now failed to score more than one goal in its last three consecutive outings and is once again hampered in its Premier League title bid, while Burnley climb closer to survival.

Player Grades

Branislav Ivanovic: A

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Left-back Filipe Luis had a rare Premier League start and was impressive against the Clarets, but Ivanovic once again stole the headlines with a rampaging display from the back.

The Serbian kept up a tremendous run of recent form with his opener on Saturday, with Infostrada Sports illustrating what a weapon he's been for Mourinho in recent years:

It speaks volumes of the defender's importance to Chelsea's cause that Ivanovic has been so responsible in the goal count of late, leading the club's attack but also doing his part to stop Chelsea's foes at the back.

Kieran Trippier: B-

How poetic it is that two former Manchester City academy players should link up at Chelsea's expense on Saturday as Trippier fired in the cross for Mee to convert late on, per FourFourTwo Stats zone:

Trippier has been one of the most impressive full-back utilities in the Premier League this season, and although containing Hazard proved troublesome at times, the defender coped well under such pressure.

Nemanja Matic: B

It would be unfair to lump Matic with blame for Chelsea's draw on Saturday, considering his reaction to Barnes' tackle attempt was somewhat justified.

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It was a severe disappointment for Mourinho, too, as Matic was one of the key components keeping Burnley at bay while his playmakers struggled to go about carving out chances in front of goal.

In his 70-minute display, Matic contributed three tackles and was a dominant aerial force in the middle of the park, winning four duels.

Post-Match Reaction

Given the controversy of Matic's red card, all attention was transfixed on what Mourinho would have to say of the referee's decision in his post-match comments, but the Blues boss declined to go into detail on the matter:

Instead, the Portuguese insisted that a selection of crucial moments decided the draw, even though his team had its opportunities to advance against a side many would have thought it would be capable of overcoming:

Mourinho also gave a somewhat cryptic account of being proved right by the decision, although not specifying in which context he felt justified with previous comments:

The manager insisted once again, however, that he feels his side perhaps isn't receiving all the decision he felt it deserves:

In Matic's absence, the club will not be able to call upon John Obi Mikel, whom Mourinho confirmed is still unavailable with injury:

All statistics come courtesy of WhoScored.com.