Chelsea secured their place on the Premier League podium on Saturday in the opening match of the 12th round by securing a fifth victory in six matches at Burnley (2-0), putting pressure on league leaders Arsenal, their next opponent.

The victory at Turf Moor puts the Blues in second place with 23 points, pending Manchester City's (3rd, 22 pts) match at Newcastle on Saturday, and Arsenal's (1st, 26 pts) game against Tottenham on Sunday.

Playing away at Fulham this afternoon, Sunderland, 4th with 19 points, will not be able to catch the Blues.

At the start of the day, Chelsea initially contained Burnley's good intentions, then converted one of their rare opportunities of the first period with a glancing header from Pedro Neto at the far post (37th).

In the second half, the right winger almost doubled the lead with a powerful low shot that rebounded off the post (63rd minute). He could also have had an assist if Martin Dubravka hadn't saved a good effort from Malo Gusto (77th minute), who had come on earlier in midfield.

The Portuguese player was also involved in the construction of the second goal, a counter-attack carried out smoothly and finished by captain Enzo Fernandez on a back pass from Marc Guiu (88th, 2-0).

The international break has not slowed the momentum of the Londoners, who are now focused on hosting FC Barcelona on Tuesday in the Champions League, then Arsenal in the Premier League next weekend.

After the clash against the Gunners, Enzo Maresca's team will have a series of more manageable matches against Leeds, Bournemouth and Everton.

Burnley (17th, 10 pts) suffered a third consecutive defeat and could fall into the relegation zone if Nottingham Forest (19th, 9 pts) or West Ham (18th, 10 pts) get a positive result.

AFP