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Attendance: 21,744

Premier League

Feb 12, 2017 at 1.30pm UK

Burnley
1-1
Chelsea

Brady (24')

FT(HT: 1-1)

Pedro (7')

Robbie Brady stunner earns Burnley draw with Chelsea

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 12 February 2017

Robbie Brady marks his first start in a Burnley shirt with a 25-yard free kick which earns his side a 1-1 draw with Premier League leaders Chelsea.

A stunning free kick from Robbie Brady has earned Burnley a deserved 1-1 draw with Premier League leaders Chelsea.

Pedro had given the Blues an early lead but January signing Brady curled into the top corner from 25 yards to secure a point for the Clarets.

The result sees Chelsea move 10 points clear at the top of the standings, while Burnley now sit 10 points above the relegation zone.

It did not take long for Chelsea to get into their stride at Turf Moor, and Eden Hazard should have given the Blues the lead when latching on to a fine through-ball from Diego Costa, but he struck his shot too close to Tom Heaton.

However, the West Londoners did open the scoring just a minute later through Pedro, who received a pass off Victor Moses before wrong-footing the defender and firing into the bottom corner.

Pedro in action in the Premier League match between Burnley and Chelsea on February 12, 2017 © SilverHub

The signs were there that Antonio Conte's side could run away with the game but for the remainder of the first half, Burnley were arguably the better side and Ashley Barnes twice went close with long-range efforts.

It was Brady who eventually found their equaliser and in some style, too, as the club-record signing curled a free kick into the top corner of Thibaut Courtois's net from 25 yards.

Robbie Brady and Joey Barton in the Premier League match between Burnley and Chelsea on February 12, 2017 © SilverHub

The Belgian stopper was powerless to prevent his team from being pegged back but before half time, he ensured that they remained on level terms with a fine intervention to stop Matthew Lowton scoring from 12 yards out after running onto a pin-point pass from Joey Barton.

Burnley's Matthew Lowton in action against Chelsea on February 12, 2017 © SilverHub

Moments after the restart, Burnley had another clear chance to take the lead but despite being found in space inside the penalty area, Andre Gray placed his shot too close to Courtois.

However, chances were few and far between during the second period, with Chelsea's best opening coming from a long-range strike from Cesar Azpilicueta which just cleared the crossbar.

Hazard and Cesc Fabregas both miscued shots from the edge of the penalty area, before Pedro curled over when he should have at least hit the target.

Both teams pushed for a winner in the closing stages but neither goalkeeper was forced into any more work as the spoils were shared in the North-West.