Havertz scores double in Chelsea rout of Burnley

Chelsea tightened their grip on a top-three finish as a stunning second-half salvo floored relegation-threatened Burnley 4-0 at Turf Moor.

The Blues needed just seven second-half minutes to take full advantage of the first-half reprieve handed to them by Burnley’s wastefulness, with Reece James’ slaloming, solo effort opening the floodgates before Kai Havertz’s double sealed the Chelsea victory with 35 minutes to spare.

Burnley should have gone into the break at least a goal to the good but were punished for their profligacy, with Dwight McNeil guilty of missing an open goal after Thiago Silva had cleared an effort from Wout Weghorst off the line in an encouraging, yet fruitless, first period for the Clarets.

The victory sees Chelsea open up an eight-point cushion over fifth-placed West Ham – who have played a game more – in the race for Champions League qualification, while Burnley stay in the bottom three, a point from safety having sustained a severe blow to their goal difference.