Burnley v Chelsea - Player Ratings

[claretspice]

I thought the bad decision was committing to engaging Willian in the first place rather than dropping off. Having committed himself, he did the right thing in staying committed, mind. But this is something of a distraction from the main message, that Barton was tremendous today.

[the_magic_rat]

Heaton 6

Lowton 9
Keane 9
Mee 8
Ward 9

Boyd 8
Barton 8
Westwood 7
Brady 6

Gray 7
Barnes 8

Arfield 6

[boiledclaret]

Heaton 7 deck chair out brilliant.

[Duffer_]

Heaton 7
Lowton 9
Keane 9
Mee 7
Ward 9
Boyd 8
Barton 8
Westwood 8
Brady 7
Barnes 8
Gray 7

Arfield 6

UTC!

[BabylonClaret]

A superb performance. Limiting the next Champions (lets not beat about the bush here - they were still good and showed why they will trample on any other challenges before the end of the season) to 2 shots on target is outstanding. Courtois also had saves to make and I think if we'd have nicked it you couldn't argue with the result (similarly if Chelsea had nicked it - it was a v balanced game).

Heaton 6 - had nothing of note to deal with. Couple of wayward kicks but average
Lowton 9 - great display. Gets better and better
keane 9 - ditto
Mee 8 - few heart in the mouth moments but otherwise excellent
Ward 9 - l;ike Lowton a great fullback display
Brady 8 - curates egg but is still settling. What a goal though
Barton 10 - I think that's pretty much a flawless performance in the middle from Joey
Westwood 9 - on this showing we have got a massive bargain
Boyd 9 - tireless, skilful, some lovely link up play and drove in behind Chelsea on numerous occasions
Barnes 8 - did all the tough and niggly stuff superbly but final ball was just lacking today
Gray 8 - worried them all game and worked hard also. Could have done better with the chance in the 2nd half

Arfield 8 - slotted in neatly
Vokes 8 - held up the ball, won headers and gave us an out for the final 10-15

[Claretsi]

Heaton 7
Ward 9 MOM
Keane 8
Mee 8
Lowton 8
Boyd 7
Westwood 7
Barton 8
Brady 6
Barnes 8
Gray 7
Arfield 7

Brilliant afternoon, Chelsea impressive especially Hazard in first half, but so proud of all the Burnley players they just have the belief they can match whatever is put in front of them. Their collective equals as much as an multi million pound superstar that the Premier League darlings swoon over week in week out.

[FCBurnley]

Firstly we have to remember we were playing an in form Chelsea team Secondly we have to remember that we were missing Defour, Hendrick and Marney from our midfield and finally we had 2 new players in our midfield. So here goes

Heaton 7 Nothing to do
Lowton 8 Getting better every game but should have shot across the keeper
Mee 9 Rock solid
Keane 10 MOM
Ward 8 Very solid
Boyd 9 because he worked his ass off even more than usual
Barton 9 I still love him and how we will miss him
Westwood 6 Just seemed invisable but must have done his share
Brady 5 + 3 = 8 Poor in open play but what a goal.
Barnes 9 What an effort,yes he is not the most skilled but I want him in our team every week.
Gray 7 Worked hard but probably should have won it for us.

Arfield 7 Did his job
Vokes 8 looked sharp.

Just to put our result in perspective. We drew with The Premier Leagues out standing team whilst our pathetic neighbours could only draw (by courtesy of a late og) with The Championships clear worst team.

[Tuddybfc]

Heaton 7
Lowton 8 MOTM
Keane 8
Mee 6
Ward 6
Boyd 7
Barton 8
Westwood 8
Brady 7
Gray 6
Barnes 7

[MACCA]

Heaton 7
Lowton 8 very good game
Keane 8
Mee 7
Ward 8 great game
Boyd 4 cost us for the goal, nearly cost us later too.
Westwood 6
Barton 8* game management was fantastic
Brady 7 plus one for goal. Poor other than the goal
Gray 5 control and composure of a 8 year old
Barnes 7 vital in winning free kicks. A cheat you want on your side.

Arfield 6

[taio]

A 4 for Boyd is laughable

I can't recall if it was Boyd who lost the ball - though I'm not doubting you - but if he did it must have been 20 yards from Chelsea's byline. If I'm correct then blaming Boyd for the goal is also laughable.

[FCBurnley]

A 4 for Boyd is laughable

No its simply vindictive

[Top Claret]

Heaton 6. Little to do, marked down due to poor kicking
Lowton 9. Solid performance and his distribution has improved no end
Keane 9. Rock solid
Mee 8. Rock solid bar one mistake
Ward 8. Reliable as always
Boyd 9. Excellent today he was everywhere
Barton 8. Slow to get going today but once he did was outstanding as ever
Westwood 9. What a debut, he looked like he had been a Burnley player for years
Brady 7. Had a strange day, he really did not get going and was good to see him subbed, but what a goal
Barnes 7. Got in their faces as always
Gray 8. Played well and is a real hand full and improving and growing with confidence every game now, should have scored though

Arfield 8. Did great when he came on
Vokes 6. Ran the line but did not have enough time to make an influence


Another brilliant performance and Chelsea new they really were in a game

[Top Claret]

MOM Lowton.... Forgot that

[lakesclaret]

Heaton - 7 Nothing to do after the goal , 2 kicks wayward but one caught the wind so bit churlish (also bailed out the defence when caught in possession)
Lowton - 9 mom defended well got forward and great feet he has
Keane - 9 Future Eng CB cool head and read them
V well
Mee - 6.5 Ilove the guy but seems low on confidence
Ward - 8 Not my fav player but great today real energy about him
Boyd - 8 Best he's been all season his work rate was remarkable attacked defended
Barton - 9 Superb kept it all together never let up
Westwood - 8 Good debut moves it about a better Jonah
Brady - 7 lovely goal but poor before it
Barnes - 8 Tricky in the thick of it and never stopped
Gray - 7 Worked hard and really should have scored


Scotty 7 came on and did his stuff

[CaptJohn]

Heaton 7: Sorry Tom but you kicking was poor today.
Ward 8: Awesome
Keane 8: Awesome.
Mee 8: Awesome.
Lawton 8: Awesome.
Barton 8: Awesome.
Westwood 7: Not bad for a home debut.
Brady 5 +1 for brilliant free kick. (I was howling for him to be hooked before the free-kick. Way off what is required but it was his home debut so I'll give him a Mulligan)
Boyd 8: Awesome.
Barnes 9: MOM. Just battered them.
Gray 7: He loses a point for not winning us the match but ran his socks off.

Arfield 7: Steadied the ship down the left flank when he came on.
So proud to be a Claret after such a battling display.
UTC

[Barnesy86]

Heaton 7
Lowton 9
Keane 10 MOM
Mee 8
Ward 9
Brady 7
Boyd 8
Westwood 9
Barton 9
Gray 8
Barnes 9

Arfield 7

[Pedro]

Heaton 7
Lowton 7
Keane 8
Mee 7
Ward 8
Boyd 8*
Westwood 7
Barton 8
Brady 7
Gray 6
Barnes 8

Arfield 6

[Jakubs Tash]

Heaton 7

Lowton 9
Keane 9
Mee 8
Ward 9

Boyd 8
Barton 9
Westwood 8
Brady 7

Gray 8
Barnes 8

Arfield 7

[MDWat]

A 4 for Boyd is laughable

I can't recall if it was Boyd who lost the ball - though I'm not doubting you - but if he did it must have been 20 yards from Chelsea's byline. If I'm correct then blaming Boyd for the goal is also laughable.

For all Ward was brilliant, he was out of position for the goal. This meant Mee having to come across and Keane having to deal with two players. I'm not a Boyd fan, as Bin_Ont_Turf will tell you, but he was fine today.

[strayclaret]

Heaton 7
Lowton 8
Keane 8
Mee 7
Ward 8
Boyd 8
Westwood 7
Barton 8
Brady 7
Gray 7
Barnes 8

Arfield 6
Could have won it, eggcellent performance, to be honest I thought we might get hammered.
Onwards and upwards
UTC

[Cirrus_Minor]

Heaton 7
Lowton 8
Keane 8
Mee 8
Ward 8
Boyd 8
Westwood 8
Barton 9
Brady 7
Gray 6
Barnes 9 MOM

Arfield 7

[DAVETHEVICAR]

Heaton 7
Lowton 9
Keane 9
Mee 8
Ward 9
Boyd 9
Barton 10
Westwood 9
Boyd 7
Barnes 9
Gray 8

Arfield 7

Fantastic team performance
As Joey said on twitter tonight
"Pleasure to play in a selfless group"

[ashtonlongsider]

Heaton 6-Not a great deal to do surprisingly, but woeful distribution at times.
Lowton 9*-Outstanding MOM
Keane 8-Commanding after an uncertain first 15 minutes.
Mee 7-Personally didn't think Ben was as assured as he has been most of the season.
Ward 8-Great game and always available as the spare man down left flank.
Boyd 7-tireless as ever but I still think Georgie should/can be more influential in the final third. Hope new contract isn't far off.
Westwood 7-Think he'll fit in well when he gets some match time although one or two misplaced passes could have been costly.
Barton 8-What a player he is for us, getting better and better. Hope he's here next season.
Brady 6-Scored as good as a free kick as I've seen on TM, but overall by his own admission, he didn't play well and I agree.
Barnes 8-Epitomises what were about and work rate is phenomenal.
Gray 5-Probably get shot down but I thought he was poor and he's trying to be too clever at times when he gets the ball.

Arfield 7

[quoonbeatz]

Heaton - 7 some wayward kicks but little else to do and no chance with their goal

Lowton - 10 as good a fullback performance as you will see. So tuned in he knew when to defend and when to attack, and he did both very well indeed.

Keane - 10 also at the top of his game, bailed us out on a couple of occasions and as assured as it's possible to be against the prime attack in the country

Mee - 8 a lucky escape when he got the ball stuck under his feet but otherwise good

Ward - 9 another top performance

Boyd - 8 essential today, albeit with the usual frustrating moment thrown in

Barton - 9 game management, know-how, experience, call it what you will; he brings exactly what we need

Westwood - 8 slotted straight in like a younger David Jones, kept things simple and kept the ball moving

Brady - 6 right behind his strike we all said 'yes!" as soon as it left his boot. Other than that his first half contribution was negligible and although he got better, Arfield shored things up

Gray - 8 should have taken a touch and hit it with his left for his golden chance. Thought he was excellent today, kept us higher up the pitch and was more of a thorn in Chelsea's side than Barnes. Indeed it was Barnes who should have been replaced by Vokes.

Barnes - 7 put himself about as ever, you sense he's not going to get away with one of these 'elbows' sooner or later. A couple of wrong decisions as well and although he gives us more mobility than vokes, the latter should have replaced him.

Arfield - 7 shored things up and maintained the framework

As points go, this is one of the best I've ever seen us get. We took some time to get to grips with the game but once we did it was an even contest. Make no mistake, that's an achievement in itself as Chelsea are the best team in the list league by some distance.

They've come away happy with a point and that's as big a compliment as you can pay us. Really good game to watch as well, two committed teams, some good football from both sides and some real respect at the end.

Proper.

[Dark Cloud]

Heaton 7 (nothing much to do, except kick rather badly a number of times!)
Lowton 8
Keane 9
Mee 8 (1 off for his 1 mistake, but he covered it well)
Ward 9 (superb, especially bearing in mind that Brady gave him so little defensive support)
Barton 9
Westwood 8
Brady 6 (goal was fantastic, but otherwise finding his feet and struggled imo)
Boyd 8
Barnes 9 (as said by others, what he lacks in quality and skill he more than makes up for in attitude and endeavour and he makes things happen. Massively important to us just now imo)
Gray 8 (overall did well, but what a poor finish when clean through! I couldn't help feeling Costa would have broken the net!)

Arfield 7 (made us less open down our left)

As others have said, Chelsea this season are streets ahead of anything else and will win the title pretty comfortably. BUT today we did what we do so, so often. We give other (better) teams the ball, let them play tricks and pass it around superbly, but actually with 70%+ possession they create very little of note and then we nick the ball and with a fraction of the possession we constantly look dangerous. Classic Burnley and classic Dyche today! A brilliant perfomance, but can't help feeling we had the best (only?) chances to score more and SHOULD have done!

[Jase_H]

Heaton 7
Lowton 8
Keane 9
Mee 7
Ward 9
Boyd 8
Westwood 8
Barton 9
Brady 7
Barnes 7
Gray 7

Arfield 7

[leelad]

Another memorable day to be a Claret. A day to remember for a long while. Chelsea will be the Champions this season, make no mistake. But they will not have any tougher games to play this season than the one they had today. Outstanding performance - especially in the 2nd half. And this was without Defour, Hendrick and Marney.

Heaton - 7 - a comfortable save to make before they scored, kicking somewhat wayward. Had little to do in the 2nd half - which is unbelievable.
Lowton - 9 - MOM for me, his willingness to go forward was superb to see, he managed to perform exceptionally well in his defensive duties and kept Hazard and William quiet I thought.
Keane - 8 - struggled first 15 minutes, but got back on track after that.
Mee - 7 - a couple of scary moments, but good performance apart from that.
Ward - 9 - I thought our full backs helped with our shape massively today in managing to break up their possession in the final third and to instigate forward runs. He is our unsung hero, ran Lowton close for MOM.
Boyd - 8 - full of running, got forward, tracked back - you cannot fault his attitude.
Barton - 8 - kept Kante quiet, and pushed us forward. His passing was excellent today.
Westwood - 8 - difficult game to make your home debut, thought he did well. Didn't notice him much, did the ugly stuff well. Will improve as he gets more games under him.
Brady - 7 - struggled first half. However, his free kick was stunning. Courtois had no chance. He will get better and his honesty after the game to say that he didn't play well was refreshing to hear.
Barnes - 8 - fantastic work rate, had a great battle with Luiz. Old fashioned centre forward who bullies defences.
Gray - 7 - should have scored early in the second half, first touch let him down on more than one occasion.

Arfield - 7

This result should give the team and management so much confidence before the tough run of away games starts. We are not out of the woods just yet, but it would take a major collapse to end up in the bottom three after a performance like this one today. We must surely be able to take performances like this one today into the away games at Crystal Palace, Swansea, Hull, Sunderland, Middlesbrough. If we do, that elusive away win will not be far away.

[claretgimmer]

Heaton 7 No chance with goal but largely untroubled
Lowton 8 Steady
Keane 9 Top class
Mee 9 Top class
Ward 9 Growing in stature each game

Boyd 6 8 without the ball( great engine) 4 with the ball ( a liability in possesion )
Barton 9 His reading of the game and commitment are second to none
Westwood 6 quietly effective, needs time to settle
Brady 6 Fantastic goal but not brilliant in general play, early doors no doubt will grow with us

Gray 7 Needs to get the ball under control before he tries twists and turns but always a threat
Barnes 9 What fantastic battering ram. must be a nightmare to defend against, total commitment

Arfield 7 Does the Boyd bit nearly as good as GB but far more capable in possesion
Vokes 7 Only a cameo but won some decent headers and held it up well

SD 9 For giving us a team to be proud of and showing you don`t have to be Johnny Foriegner to organise and produce good teams

[Claret]

Heaton - 7
Lowton - 8
Keane - 9
Mee - 7
Ward - 9
Boyd - 7
Barton - 8
Westwood - 7
Brady - 6
Gray - 7
Barnes - 9
Arfield - 7

[taio]

[quote="Boyd 6 8 without the ball( great engine) 4 with the ball ( a liability in possesion )[/quote]

Yet he had the second highest passing accuracy of our players and the best of out of the midfielders.

[CrosspoolClarets]

Heaton 6 (sure he fell asleep at one point 2nd half)
Lowton 8 (terrible finish, otherwise great)
Ward 8
Keane 7 (I thought he struggled with their movement at times including the goal)
Mee 7 (a few bad errors otherwise terrific)
Barton 9 (when he lands from that Willian challenge I'll work out how late it was!)
Westwood 7
Boyd 9
Brady 7
Gray 7
Barnes 7

Arfield 7

To note my marks are set against average Premier League standard so may seem harsh but not really.

In truth it was a magnificent performance that but for bad finishing should have been won. Conditions were superb - wind, sleet, snow and cold. Just the way we like it.

Barton and Boyd were superb, but the peerless Kante just pips them to MOM. That guy is unbelievable live - the best I've seen in that role.

The greatest plaudit was when Conte's famous 3-4-3 was discarded to match us up - as though he was saying "we can't beat you this way". At that moment I knew we are staying up.

[claretgimmer]

I`m talking about the way he is easily dispossessed and as regards your stat how many passes did he make compared to the others and over what sort of distance, 5 yd pass backs to Lowton is not really a reflection of ability

[taio]

He made a similar number of successful passes as Barton and second highest in the team.

[claretgimmer]

Still haven`t answered the question as the circumstances, Boyd plays lots of short passes to Lowton under little pressure whereas JB makes things happen but in the long run stats are whatever you want them to be, as a winger he is poor creatively.

[taio]

Stats aren't what you what them to be. It's clear he had a pass completion rate of 77% - the second highest in the team. So I don't know how you can say he was a liability in possession.

[claretgimmer]

Because pass completion doesn`t cover times dispossessed and stats do read how you want them to

[taio]

Because pass completion doesn`t cover times dispossessed and stats do read how you want them to

His vast majority of marks here are 7, 8 or even 9 - that's also a useful measure of him not being absymal in possession.

[Dodobdobodobo]

Totally agree with mark for Boyd (6) how on earth posters can give him 8 because he puts the yardage in but most of the time it's away from the ball because he doesn't want it!!!!!!!

Heaton - 6. - Goal was just class from Chelsea, kicking wayward today.
Lowton - 7 - Thought he had scored. Had a good game overall.
Keane - 8 - played much better than last week against better opposition.
Mee - 7 - Odd shaky moment but did well overall
Ward - 8 - very good game from Wardy today,
Boyd - 6 - Did what he does.
Barton - 9 - Against what has to be the best midfielders in the uk he was immense.
Westwood - 8 - one bad pass I am not marking him down for as he was superb today, another good Dyche buy, I need to stop wondering what Dyche sees because he gets it right more often than not.
Brady - 7. - Thought he had a poor debut today, however Kante was snapping at him as soon as he got the ball and Kante is world class. I am sure he will get a lot better with time . What a free kick though.
Gray - 7 - Should have leathered it.
Barnes -8 - Matic was at him most of the game, he gave his all bless him and they did not like it at all.

Subs:
Arfield - 7 - worked hard and defended really well.

Great point but we had the chances to win it and Chelsea didnt. Almost feel dissapointed we didnt win, but it was Chelsea. again great point

[claretgimmer]

Maybe for you but I still stick with my evaluation, different people look for different aspects in a player and just because some people decide to score him lower than others doesn`t necessarily make them wrong in their opinion some people obviously feel it more important to be a runner and mark accordingley, others me being one put more emphasis on creativity especially from wingers hence the comments with my mark, it is all opinion based so we will just have to agree to differ.

[Cubanclaret]

Heaton 7
Lowton 8
Keane 9
Mee 8
Ward 8
Brady 7 (Arfield 7)
Barton 8
Westwood 8
Boyd 8
Gray 7
Barnes 7

[Father Jack]

Heaton 7
Lowton 9
Keane 9
Mee 8
Ward 9
Boyd 9
Barton 10
Westwood 9
Boyd 7
Barnes 9
Gray 8

Arfield 7

Fantastic team performance
As Joey said on twitter tonight
"Pleasure to play in a selfless group"

Two George Boyd's
There's only two George Boyd's!!

[Tall Paul]

Boyd was excellent today.

[Stalbansclaret]

Boyd runs away from the ball ?? Seriously cannot believe that anyone with the faintest idea about playing football cannot see the immense contribution the lad makes to our style of play. Absolutely incredible physical effort again from him today and rightly highlighted by Keown on MotD. Well done George Boyd and thanks !

[Slurpy]

Heaton 7- Nothing to Do
Lowton 8- Dealt with Alonso well and really should have become our 15th scorer this season
Keane 10 MOM - Just incredible.
Mee 7- Not Ben's best game today just because of a few almost mistakes that we have come to expect but was still fantastic
Ward 8 Class.
Brady 7 He himself said he had a poor game - don't care if he is scoring worldies, a lot more to come.
Barton 9 - Immense
Westwood 8- Really impressive home debut
Boyd 7- thought he had a poor first 20 but then really showed why he is a pivotal part of the way we play
Barnes 8- Battled for everything
Gray 8- Ran himself into the ground, wish he could have done better with what was a difficult finish.

Arfield 7

[fungus_the_bogeyman]

Heaton 7
Lowton 9
Ward 8
Mee 8
Keane 9*
Boyd 8
Brady 7
Westwood 8
Barton 9
Barnes 8
Gray 7
Arfield 7

[JohnMac]

Heaton 7 - Routine day at the office, good early save from Hazard was a confidence booster.
Lowton 8* - MOM possibly his best game for us to date.
Keane 8 - He gets better as the game goes on, awesome second half from him again.
Mee 7 - Aside from a couple of miscued clearances he was steady as a rock.
Ward 8 - Another great effort by one of our underrated players.
Boyd 8 - A tireless effort from our very own 'running man'.
Barton 8 - Like a fine wine. Loved the finger warning to Costa!
Westwood 8 - Settled into midfield straight away and took a yellow after his possibly only poor pass.
Brady 7 - His touch was poor by his own confession but WHAT A GOAL.
Barnes 8 - He never stops!
Gray 7 - Kept going and was so unlucky not to find someone with his ball across the box first half. He instinctively took the shot on straight away from Ash's brilliant through ball, it could have been a winner on another day

Arfield 7 Came on and does what he does best.

As a collective unit - 9

[jlup1980]

Heaton 7
Lowton 9
Keane 9
Mee 8
Ward 9
Boyd 8
Westwood 8
Barton 9
Brady 7
Gray 7
Barnes 8

Arfield 6

Almost the perfect performance. The back 4 were outstanding apart from one moment of hesitation from Mee and Heaton's kicking in the second half.

Midfield worked as hard as ever. Boyd and Barton were immense. Westwood was impressive but similar to Mee he almost cost us with one slack pass and silly booking (reminded me of Deano with that tackle!). It'll take longer for Brady to get to the party. His free kick was sublime but you could tell he was learning his role. JBG was similar in his first couple of games too. It takes time for the wingers to become Dyched!

Outstanding from the Clarets. That wasn't the performance of a team going down!

[MACCA]

Boyd 8*

Is that for your assist

[jdrobbo]

Heaton 6
Lowton 8
Keane 9
Mee 7
Ward 9
Boyd 8
Westwood 8
Barton 8
Brady 7
Gray 7
Barnes 7

Arfield 6

[JellyBaby]

Heaton - 8 not many actual saves to make but there's more than that to what he does. So solid again bar a couple of kicks
Lowton - 9 best I've seen from him albeit from TV in every aspect
Keane - 9 Stays on his feet and reads the game
Mee - 8 Reads the game so well, couple of slips but the good outweighs it
Ward - 9 Our Denis Irwin
Boyd - 8 So much energy and defensive shape.
Barton - 9 The right pass, positioning and understanding
Westwood - 8 Held his shape well against the toughest of opponents on home debut. Helped to 'nullify' Hazard in second half
Brady - 7 A bit off the pace but great finish
Gray 8 - Worked the channels well, constant threat
Barnes - 9 General hold-up play fantastic

Arfield - 8 Slotted in well. Seamless

What a great game to watch and not for the first time. Chelsea with world class players on form all over the pitch but our shape is incredible. The discipline to get goal side when the opposition have it without diving in buys us time. Intelligent running off the ball gives us opportunities on the counter. It's great to see players visibly improve over the season and you can actually appreciate the shape and the game plan play out. Add that to effort and no little skill and you have one of the top 10 teams in the country. And I support them.

Dyche - 10