Mourinho Has Every Reason To Be Angry – Three Things We Learned From Chelsea’s 1-1 Draw Against Burnley

10-man Chelsea were held at home by Burnley as Ben Mee gave the relegation-threatened side a much needed point on Saturday. The Blues took the lead early in the first half, after Branislav Ivanovic calmly slotted home Eden Hazard’s cross. And although the Blues dominated the possession, they were unable to get the second goal and that cost them as Ben Mee scored from a corner to give Burnley a precious point at Stamford Bridge.

The draw coupled with Manchester City’s thumping win over Newcastle means that their lead is now down to six points. They will also be missing Nemanja Matic, who was sent off after he reacted angrily to a challenge by Ashley Barnes. Here are the major talking points from the game.

Ivanovic’s showcases his sinister side

Although Chelsea were certainly hard done by the referee’s performance, Ivanovic’s performance in the game showed just why the Blues aren’t very well liked in the country. The Serbian rampaged forward through the night, scored the home side’s only goal, but that was merely a side show to what he did for the rest of the game.

Whether it was rolling on the floor feigning injury, stopping referee from producing a red card and simply whining like a little kid when decisions didn’t go his way, Ivanovic’s performance exemplified everything that is wrong with the current Chelsea side. While it is true that Burnley got away with a few key decisions, that certainly doesn’t excuse Ivanovic’s performance. Although it was Matic who got the red card, his reaction, to almost having his leg broken was although unacceptable, at least understandable. His compatriot’s actions on the other hand, shows just why, for all of their undoubted technical brilliance, this Chelsea side will never be universally loved.

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Mourinho has every reason to be angry

On far too many occasions this season, Jose Mourinho has blamed the referee for his players’ performances on the pitch. But against, Burnley, for the first time this season, he had every reason to be irate at the referee. Martin Atkinson who took charge of the game had an absolute stinker and while it is true that referees are human and make mistakes, the consistency with which Atkinson was making bad calls certainly raised a few eye brows at Stamford Bridge.

After the game, Mourinho mentioned four key minutes in the game, but that wasn’t the only occasion that Atkinson got it wrong. Whether it was not giving two clear penalties, one for deliberate handball and the other for a deliberate push on Diego Costa. Not only that, Ashley Barnes, who ended the game without a yellow card, should have been sent off, if not for two yellows, for his tackle on Ivanovic and Matic, then for a straight red for a tackle on Matic, that might have resulted in a broken leg or something similarly serious. Although Mourinho might once again get into trouble for his post-match comments, at least this time, he has some point in being mad at the officials who cost his side two crucial points.

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Burnley finally get their reward

Against Manchester United  in their previous encounter, Burnley did more than enough to take a point if not all three and were unlucky to lose to the Red Devils. Against Chelsea, they stayed compact and got their first big result as they claimed a crucial point that moved them to 18th and just goal difference away from safety.

Although they don’t have the biggest of budgets, play eye-catching football or are particularly highly-fancied, Sean Dyche’s side have shown so far that all you need to do to stay in the Premier League is grit and determination. All of their players work hard, just like they did against the Blues, they consistently play the same players and have shown tremendous spirit, tenacity and hunger to continue competing with the biggest and best sides and not simply raise the white flag. Although they were lucky to have 11 men on the pitch at full time, this result might just prove to be the springboard for a tough run of games that is now coming up for the Lancashire club.