.As Burnley shocks Chelsea
Stories by Monica Iheakam
It was a harvest of red cards at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea on Saturday became the first team to have two players sent off in an opening game of a Premier League season.
The defending Champions recorded the feat in modern English football when Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas were unceremoniously, shown the exit in their 3-2 shock defeat to Burnley.
The Blues nightmare, unfolded in the 14th minutes at Stamford Bridge when Cahill was dismissed for a tackle on Steven Defour, conceding three goals before half-time.
Cesc Fabregas’ matching orders 10 minutes from time was the final nail in the coffin for Antonio Conte and his nine-man squad.
Prior to Saturday’s match, the Blues had not had a player sent off in 41 league games stretching back to John Terry’s red against Sunderland at the end of the 2015-16 season.
Meanwhile, manager Antonio Conte admitted that his side ‘lost their heads’ as they fell to a shock home defeat to Burnley .
“The sending off of Cahill was a key moment, because to play the rest of the game with 10 and then nine men is not easy,” Conte told reporters afterwards.
“In recent games we have finished with nine or 10 men. I have to try to adapt a new system and to anticipate playing with nine or 10 men in the next game. I don’t want to comment on the referee, absolutely not.
“We tried until the end to reach a good result against Burnley – it was a pity because our fight in the second half was very good.
“But our first half we kept losing our heads – after the red card we lost our heads, conceded two goals and then it’s very difficult to change the final result.”
Next up for the Blues, who have now lost their last three competitive matches, is a tough trip to Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley next weekend.