Talking Points: Chelsea 2 Burnley 0

The Clarets had recently dealt defending champions Liverpool a knockout blow at Anfield, but they were unable to lay a glove on the Blues on their latest travels.

Cesar Azpilicueta shattered the away side's resolve in the 41st minute when netting the first goal of the new regime.

Marcus Alonso then wrapped up the three points with a ferocious finish in the 84th minute after collecting a pass from substitute Christian Pulisic.

Here are the talking points.

TOUCHÉ TUCHEL

You have to hand it to the new Chelsea boss. Talk about having an instant impact!

The German coach has had very limited time to work his magic with the Blues, but his influence is already shining through.

Forget Wednesday's dress rehearsal against Wolves. The 47-year-old is an outstanding tactician, not a miracle-worker.

For 40 minutes at Stamford Bridge you wondered whether the hosts had anything up their sleeve in order to outwit the Clarets and break their resolve.

Tuchel looked vulnerable to suffering the same fate as Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who he succeeded at both FSV Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund.

The 'student', however, solved the conundrum that had previously dumbfounded his 'master' at Anfield earlier in the month.

With the mechanics of Burnley's low block functioning in the right manner - forcing the Blues into repetition - the cogs of Tuchel's scientific mind were set into motion.

And the counter-attacking breakthrough came right out of the training ground at Cobham. With Sean Dyche's side drawn to the left hand side of the pitch, the home side sprung into action.

Jorginho, Chelsea's midfield 'pivot', found a hole in-between Chris Wood, Robbie Brady, Jack Cork and Matt Lowton to collect the ball from Marcos Alonso.

Mason Mount then had the freedom to advance before offloading the ball to Callum Hudson-Odoi, who had isolated Erik Pieters.

Cesar Azpilicueta, who almost covered the length of the pitch to offer his support, then provided the overlap to score the first goal of the Tuchel era at SW6.

It was a coordinated sequence, a poetic and rhythmic transition, and one perfected from his time at PSG, where attempting to breach stubborn resistance in Ligue 1 was a common theme.

But the two-time title winner in France didn't stop there. The shape-shifting savant helped Chelsea assume complete control after the break with a measured tactical tweak.

A switch from 3-4-2-1 to a 3-4-1-2, with Mount operating in the number 10 role following Christian Pulisic's introduction, caused the visitors a multitude of problems.

Burnley couldn't live with the running of the American international alongside Timo Werner while the width of Hudson-Odoi posed even more problems.

In the end it was the substitute who lifted the ball into Alonso to finish the game off in the 84th minute.

Dyche often speaks about having to 'find a way' to win in the Premier League. Well, Tuchel did just that!

COULDN'T HIT A 'BARNES' DOOR

The Chris Wood/Matej Vydra partnership at Stamford Bridge was the fourth different combination for the Clarets in as many games.

Unfortunately, this specific union didn't carry the threat that other alliances had posed before it.

The Czech international, who has been linked with moves to Watford and AFC Bournemouth, was clearly full of beans in the capital.

But he was no match for the athleticism of Antonio Ruediger or the experience and physicality of Brazilian centre back Thiago Silva.

And Wood, who scored the winner against Aston Villa at Turf Moor in midweek, was unable to affect the game in the final third prior to his withdrawal.

"First half I was pretty pleased, other than the detail in our final third play, because I thought the two centre forwards got us into positions where we could have made more of it.

"But we didn't, and that's been a bit of a frustration this season, even with the good run we've been on.

"I thought we were quiet in the wide areas and quiet up front, and it's really tough if you have three or four quieter than they should be."

The nature of the challenge was tailor made for Ashley Barnes, who hasn't had the opportunity to build on his 100th career goal.

The striker, a master of the dark arts, has a habit of ruffling a few feathers against the Pensioners.

Robust challenges on Branislav Ivanovic and Nemanja Matic caused friction with Jose Mourinho at the helm in 2015.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion frontman then caused further upset when unsettling David Luiz and netting the equaliser in a 2-2 draw in April 2019.

You wouldn't have backed against Barnes getting inside the head of Silva, either, after their competitive tussle at Turf Moor in October.

Burnley's all-time leading Premier League scorer is a wind-up merchant, a pest and the away side missed that 'cuteness' to draw fouls in key areas of the pitch.

In the end the Clarets had to wait until the fourth minute of stoppage time before registering their first attempt on goal - when James Tarkowski headed Ashley Westwood's corner over the bar.

With Wood facing a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring strain, Dyche will be hoping that the 31-year-old makes a speedy recovery from the 'slight knock' he picked up in Merseyside.

The Burnley boss said: "We think it's a hamstring (with Wood), so we've got to wait and see on that one.

"A couple of the players not here today we're a bit more hopeful on getting back sooner rather than later, but it's another mini-blow to us.

"We've had lots of injuries over a long period, so we're just hopeful on the ones coming back and hope they can stay fit."

NEED SOME ASSISTANCE?

"I was reasonably pleased, it was just the detail in the front third.

"Our centre forwards and wide players got in some really good positions, but we didn't make the most of them, and when you're at these clubs, you have to."

Dyche was reticent to lay the blame at anyone's feet, but recognised Burnley's dearth of creativity from open play against Chelsea.

The torch light was shone on the strikers recently when the club's "goals scored" column was the worst in the division.

But there has been very little for them to feed off in games.

Dwight McNeil, Robbie Brady and Johann Berg Gudmundsson have just two goals and three assists between them this term.

And they'll be hugely disappointed with that, especially with the campaign tipping into the second half.

A lot of weight rests on McNeil's shoulders. The England Under 21 international has delivered 111 crosses in the Premier League this season.

That's one of the highest tallies in the top flight and matches Kevin De Bruyne's return for Manchester City.

Burnley, though, can't just rely on that one outlet. In contrast, Brady has put the ball into the box 40 times.

That's 10 less than Charlie Taylor while, on average, only 0.5 of those per game have found their intended target.

Gudmundsson, meanwhile, has yet to reach double figures, though the Icelandic international has played far less football.

Yes, their work rate up and down the flanks has been exemplary, but the Clarets require craft on top of graft if they are to keep progressing.

Those statistics are a slight cause for concern and it's an affliction that clearly needs addressing if we're to see Burnley at their best.