Burnley striker Zian Flemming pounced in stoppage time to secure a 1-1 draw against 10-man Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their English Premier League clash on Saturday.
Flemming headed in from a James Ward‑Prowse corner in the 93rd minute after Chelsea had lost control of the match following Wesley Fofana’s red card.
The hosts had dominated until the defender’s 72nd‑minute dismissal, having taken the lead through Joao Pedro in the fourth minute.
But there will be an inquest, as Chelsea have dropped a league‑high 19 points from winning positions this season. They also have six red cards – more than any other team in the Premier League – and eight in all competitions.
It looked as though it would be plain sailing for Chelsea after Joao Pedro bundled in Pedro Neto’s cross from close range in the fourth minute.
Cole Palmer nearly capitalised on a mistake by Kyle Walker on the halfway line but failed to lift his shot over Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, with two further efforts in the half also blocked.
Burnley’s only real chance in the first half came when Lesley Ugochukwu volleyed over from a corner awarded under a new rule which penalised Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez for holding on to the ball for more than eight seconds.
After the interval, Joao Pedro had another effort blocked by former Chelsea defender Bashir Humphreys before heading over from a corner in the 66th minute.
Burnley had not registered a second-half shot before Fofana received a second yellow card in the 72nd minute, having been earlier booked for a late challenge on Hannibal Mejbri.
Four minutes later, Josh Laurent forced a save from Sanchez, as Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior brought on defenders, while Scott Parker introduced attackers in search of an equaliser.
Flemming was unmarked when he headed his dramatic leveller, and substitute Jacob Bruun Larsen missed a similar chance minutes later, with Chelsea supporters booing their team off after the final whistle.
Chelsea move up to fourth in the Premier League table, having played a game more than Manchester United, but fail to close the gap on Aston Villa who drew against Leeds. Burnley remain second bottom, eight points adrift of safety.
Substitute Tammy Abraham scored his first Premier League goal for Aston Villa since his return to the club as the hosts snatched a 1-1 draw against Leeds United.
The visitors had been on the verge of only their second away league win of the season after a superb 30-yard free-kick from Anton Stach gave them the lead.
Stach scored in the 31st minute when it appeared he would play the ball to the far post but caught Emiliano Martinez out of position and fired the ball into the top corner.
But England international with Nigerian heritage Abraham, who rejoined Villa in an £18.2m deal from Besiktas at the end of the January transfer window, made it 1-1 when he flicked the ball with his knee into the net after Ezri Konsa had won a knockdown from a corner.
For Villa, who would have gone level on points with second-placed Manchester City with a win, it was a deserved point as they dominated after going behind.
They had a great chance to equalise in first-half injury-time only for Karl Darlow to make an excellent save to deny Amadou Onana. The hosts pushed for an equaliser but Darlow made a superb one-handed save to push Emiliano Buendia’s effort on to the post.
But Darlow was finally beaten in the 88th minute as Villa grabbed a draw.
Villa remain third, seven points behind leaders Arsenal, who play in the North London derby at Tottenham on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Leeds’ point takes them eight clear of the relegation zone.
BBC Sport
