Chelsea maintained their unbeaten start to the Premier League season as Alvaro Morata, Ross Barkley and Willian scored in a 4-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday.
The Blues made light work of Burnley in Eden Hazard’s absence – the Belgian missing with a back problem – as a devastating attacking display saw off the Clarets and moved Maurizio Sarri’s side up to second in the table, two points behind leaders Liverpool.
Barkley’s deft pass in the 22nd minute set Morata up for Chelsea’s opener and the England international scored in his third consecutive Premier League game 12 minutes into the second half to put the game beyond Sean Dyche’s side.
Luka Milivojevic twice held his nerve from the penalty spot as Granit Xhaka went from hero to zero in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace.
The Palace captain was denied from 12 yards by Jordan Pickford in last weekend’s defeat at Everton but stepped up to put Roy Hodgson’s struggling side ahead in first-half stoppage time.
Wayne Hennessey could only touch Xhaka’s venomous free-kick into the top corner six minutes after the restart and the Palace goalkeeper just failed to prevent Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from turning home his ninth of the season at the back post.
The ball was turned Aubameyang’s way when Alexandre Lacazette clearly handled a right-wing corner, meaning there was a sense of justice being done when Xhaka – playing in an unfamiliar left-back role – crudely brought down Wilfried Zaha and Milivojevic denied Arsenal a 12th consecutive win.
Zaha was the familiar inspiration for Palace’s promising start – cutting inside Shkodran Mustafi to drive against the base of the post before his impudent flick released Patrick van Aanholt, Andros Townsend shooting wastefully wide from the left-back’s 16th-minute cross.
Arsenal settled and Hector Bellerin’s hesitation in the Palace box allowed a combination of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Mamadou Sakho to make a goal-saving block.
Mustafi’s defending was not so judicious in the final minute of the half as he needlessly lunged in on Cheikhou Kouyate, leaving Milivojevic to atone for his Goodison Park woe.
The Palace skipper was culpable when Arsenal drew level, clumsily bringing down Lucas Torreira on the right-hand corner of the box for Xhaka to perform his dead-ball heroics.
Aubameyang showed supreme poaching instincts five minutes later, at which point Palace’s anger was directed towards Lacazette’s handball.
Palace substitute Max Meyer cracked a shot against the outside of the near post but Arsenal were holding out effectively until Zaha preyed on Xhaka’s discomfort seven minutes from time.
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