Chelsea 2-3 Burnley: The Champions’ Nine-Man Opening Day (2017)
Chelsea 2-3 Burnley was the score on the opening day of the 2017-18 Premier League season, at Stamford Bridge on 12 August 2017: Burnley beat the reigning champions 3-2, with Chelsea finishing the match down to nine men. Gary Cahill was sent off on 14 minutes and Cesc Fàbregas late on, and Burnley were 3-0 up by half-time through a Sam Vokes double and a Stephen Ward strike. Álvaro Morata and David Luiz pulled two back after the break, but the champions had left themselves far too much to do.
It was a chaotic curtain-raiser, echoing the drama that has run through Premier League opening days since the competition’s very first in 1992: a title defence began with a red card inside a quarter of an hour, and the reigning champions three down by half-time and reduced to nine men at their own ground. Here is how the afternoon fell apart.
Key Facts
- Played on 12 August 2017 at Stamford Bridge, in front of 41,616. It was the opening day of the 2017-18 Premier League season, and Chelsea’s first game as reigning champions under Antonio Conte.
- Burnley, managed by Sean Dyche, won 3-2. Sam Vokes scored twice (24 and 43 minutes) and Stephen Ward once (39), putting Burnley 3-0 up at half-time.
- Chelsea had Gary Cahill sent off on 14 minutes for a high tackle, and Cesc Fàbregas dismissed on 82 for a second yellow. They finished with nine men.
- Álvaro Morata, a substitute making his Chelsea debut, scored on 69 minutes, and David Luiz added a second on 88, but Burnley held on for 3-2.
- The referee was Craig Pawson. Álvaro Morata had joined that summer as a club-record £58m signing from Real Madrid, according to ESPN, and came off the bench to score Chelsea’s first goal.
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How the Champions Unravelled at Stamford Bridge
A Red Card Inside 15 Minutes
Chelsea had won the title at a canter in 2016-17, Conte’s first season in England, and opened the defence at home expecting a routine afternoon. Instead the game turned on 14 minutes, when Gary Cahill caught Steven Defour high and was sent off, referee Craig Pawson producing a straight red. A champion side was down to ten men before it had settled, and Burnley, organised and direct under Sean Dyche, simply took what was offered. Sam Vokes headed them in front on 24 minutes, Stephen Ward drove a second on 39, and Vokes struck again on 43. By half-time it was 3-0, all three goals scored against the ten men in a first-half spell of just under 20 minutes.
| Minute | Scorer (team) | Running score |
|---|---|---|
| 24′ | Vokes, for Burnley | 0-1 |
| 39′ | Ward, for Burnley | 0-2 |
| 43′ | Vokes again, for Burnley | 0-3 |
| 69′ | Morata, for Chelsea | 1-3 |
| 88′ | David Luiz, for Chelsea | 2-3 |
The Fightback, and a Second Red
Chelsea did rouse themselves after the break. Álvaro Morata, a club-record £58m signing from Real Madrid introduced from the bench on his debut, headed in on 69 minutes to make it 3-1. But any momentum died on 82 minutes, when Cesc Fàbregas, already booked, lunged into a second yellow and left Chelsea with nine men. David Luiz’s goal two minutes from time cut the final margin to 3-2, though Burnley saw out the closing seconds.
What the Day Signalled
Dyche’s side had gone to the home of the champions, ridden the early good fortune of a red card, and won on merit through set-piece threat and discipline. The warning signs for Chelsea were harder to shake off. Conte had spent the summer frustrated in the transfer market, and a title defence that began with two red cards and a home defeat never truly recovered its authority. According to Premier League records, Chelsea finished the 2017-18 season fifth, outside the Champions League places, and this opening-day collapse was an early marker of the struggle to come.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Chelsea 2-3 Burnley (2017)
What was the score when Chelsea lost to Burnley in 2017?
Burnley beat Chelsea 3-2 at Stamford Bridge on 12 August 2017, the opening day of the Premier League season. Sam Vokes scored twice and Stephen Ward once to put Burnley 3-0 up by half-time. Álvaro Morata and David Luiz scored for Chelsea in the second half, but Burnley held on to win 3-2.
Why did Chelsea finish the Burnley game with nine men?
Chelsea had two players sent off. Gary Cahill was dismissed on 14 minutes for a high challenge on Steven Defour, and Cesc Fàbregas was sent off on 82 minutes for a second yellow card. That left the reigning champions playing much of the match a man down, and the closing stages with nine men.
Who scored for Burnley in the 3-2 win at Chelsea in 2017?
Sam Vokes scored twice for Burnley, on 24 and 43 minutes, and Stephen Ward scored the other, on 39 minutes. All three goals came in the first half, putting Burnley 3-0 up at the interval against the ten-man champions.
Was Chelsea 2-3 Burnley Álvaro Morata’s debut?
Yes. Álvaro Morata, signed from Real Madrid that summer, came off the bench to make his Chelsea debut and scored on 69 minutes to make it 3-1. It was a bright individual moment on an otherwise chastening afternoon for Chelsea.
Who were the reigning champions in August 2017?
Chelsea were the reigning Premier League champions, having won the 2016-17 title in Antonio Conte’s first season in charge. The Burnley defeat was the opening game of their title defence, which is part of why the result was such a shock.
Where was Chelsea 2-3 Burnley played, and who refereed it?
The match was played at Stamford Bridge in London, in front of 41,616 spectators. The referee was Craig Pawson. Both Chelsea red cards, to Gary Cahill and Cesc Fàbregas, were shown during the game.
How did Chelsea’s 2017-18 season end?
Chelsea finished the 2017-18 Premier League season in fifth place, outside the Champions League qualification spots, a disappointing follow-up to their title win. That opening-day defeat to Burnley proved an early sign that the defence would be a struggle.
Why is Chelsea 2-3 Burnley still remembered?
It is remembered as one of the Premier League’s most dramatic opening days: reigning champions Chelsea, at home, reduced to nine men by two red cards and beaten 3-2 by Sean Dyche’s Burnley. The combination of the scoreline, the sendings-off and the fact it opened a title defence made it an unforgettable curtain-raiser.
Who managed Chelsea and Burnley in the 2017 game?
Chelsea were managed by Antonio Conte, who had won the Premier League with them the previous season, and Burnley by Sean Dyche. Dyche’s well-organised, direct side made the most of Chelsea’s early red card to record a memorable win at Stamford Bridge.
Who scored Chelsea’s two goals against Burnley?
Álvaro Morata scored Chelsea’s first on 69 minutes, on his debut off the bench, and David Luiz scored the second on 88 minutes. Both came after Chelsea had gone 3-0 down and been reduced to ten, and then nine, men, so they only reduced the margin rather than saving the game.
Was Chelsea 2-3 Burnley the opening day of the season?
Yes. The match was played on 12 August 2017, the opening day of the 2017-18 Premier League season, and it was Chelsea’s first game as reigning champions. Losing it 3-2 at home, with nine men, made it one of the most striking opening-day results in recent memory.
Chelsea 2-3 Burnley
A reigning champion, at home on the opening day, undone by two red cards and a ruthless Burnley: it was the kind of chaos only the first weekend of a season seems to produce. Opening day has a habit of it, from Brentford stunning Arsenal in 2021 to the very beginnings of the league itself. For more, keep exploring our On This Day series and the channel.
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