Diego Costa’s first Chelsea goal cancelled out Scott Arfield’s opener and four minutes later Schuerrle converted a sumptuous, half-volleyed pass from Cesc Fabregas at the culmination of a superb 25-pass move.
Branislav Ivanovic’s 34th-minute goal completed a 3-1 win that took Jose Mourinho’s side above defending champions Manchester City on goals scored at the top of the table, and they have been there largely ever since.
“They’ve definitely been the best team in the league,” admits Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey. “They’ve only lost twice this season. Their consistency has been the best and that’s what you need.”
That win at Burnley, with Eden Hazard dazzling, Costa scoring and Fabregas supplying two assists, provided the blueprint for the Blues’ entire season, but the formula was tweaked after the turn of the year.
Chelsea won 11 and drew three of their first 14 games, notably beating Arsenal and Liverpool and crushing Everton 6-3, which sparked talk of an unbeaten campaign.
But they lost 2-0 at Newcastle United in early December and a 5-3 humbling at Tottenham Hotspur on New Year’s Day — which saw City pull dead-level for the space of nine days — prompted Mourinho to circle the wagons.
There was an emphatic 5-0 victory at Swansea City on January 17, but despite their challengers all falling away, Mourinho reverted to type and Chelsea’s next seven league wins would all come by a one-goal margin.
The leaders were taunted with chants of ‘Boring, boring Chelsea!’ during a 0-0 draw at Arsenal in April that edged them closer to the title, but captain John Terry said the criticism was unfounded.
“Possession and tippy-tappy football’s great, but if you are not winning games, you’re not going to win the league,” he said.
Despite their dominance, Chelsea have seemed to spend much of the season with their backs to the wall as Mourinho employed a familiar strategy by creating a siege mentality.
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