Chelsea players

Chelsea missed the chance to move 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League after being held to a 1-1 draw by a resilient Burnley at Turf Moor.

The hosts had won all four of their previous homes games without conceding but fell behind early on when Rodriguez Pedro finished off a sweeping attack.

Nigeria’s Victor Moses set up Pedro who slid home the opener early on in the 7th minute.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the visitors dominated possession and it seemed only a matter of time before they added to their advantage.

However, Burnley’s record signing Robbie Brady — making his full debut following a January move from Norwich — equalised with a sublime free-kick in the 24th minute.

The Clarets almost extended their lead before the break but the Blues’ goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois superbly denied Matt Lowton from close range.

Chelsea did not have a single shot on target in the second half as Burnley took the game to the Premier League leaders.

Andre Gray tested Courtois with a low drive when he was through one-on-one.

The Blues switched to 4-4-2 in the 70th minute as Willian and Fabregas came in for Moses and Nemanja Matic respectively in a tactical substitution.

But it made little impact as Burnley held on for a well deserved point.

In the end, manager Antonio Conte will perhaps consider this a point gained as the Blues moved 10 points ahead of Tottenham and Arsenal.

Burnley, meanwhile, remain 13th.

NAN reports that Manchester City have a chance to climb to second spot and cut Chelsea’s lead to eight points when they take on Bournemouth on Monday.(NAN)