Chelsea boosted their Premier League title challenge with a 2-0 win against struggling Burnley at Turf Moor Stadium on Saturday.
Pedro Neto put the Blues ahead just before the interval at Turf Moor, before Enzo Fernández sealed the victory late on.
Enzo Maresca’s side climb to second place, three points behind leaders Arsenal, who host Tottenham on Sunday.
The win marks Maresca’s 50th Premier League game in charge and Chelsea’s eighth victory in their last 10 matches across all competitions.
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It was the ideal warm-up for a pivotal week, with home matches against Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday and Arsenal in the league on November 30.
Chelsea could drop back to third if Manchester City avoid defeat against Newcastle later on Saturday, but their hard-fought victory in freezing Lancashire maintained the momentum behind their title charge.
“It’s tough after the international break, Burnley away; it’s always a hard game. But the way we competed, I’m very happy,” Maresca said.
“To come here and not concede is very difficult, but overall, they only had one real chance. It was very important to keep the momentum from before the international break. Now we’ll recover our energy, and on to Tuesday.”
Burnley have now lost five of their last seven league games.
Chelsea were without Cole Palmer, who extended his injury absence after fracturing his toe by stubbing it against a door. Palmer had been set to resume training this week after two months out with a groin problem.
Adding to Maresca’s concerns, fatigued Ecuador midfielder Moisés Caicedo was left on the bench after returning from international duty on Thursday. Maresca had also criticised the Premier League for giving Chelsea another early Saturday kick-off.
