Kante, the key while Chelsea united everything in the victory over Burnley

This was Chelsea’s best performance of the season – for a man they were excellent. It was an almost flawless demonstration of N’Golo Kante, which remains the key to Frank Lampard’s success.

The build-up was fluid; delicious sometimes. Hakim Ziyech crashed passes to his teammates, Kai Havertz was the backboard or rebounder to the right, while Mason Mount buzzed all over the place, weaving in the blitzes of Timo Werner, Tammy Abraham and Chelsea in proceedings.

But none of that confidence on the ball, calculated risk-taking and creativity would have been possible without Kante. The midfielder, playing a solitary defensive role with a series of attacking players in front of him, set the tone in the first ten minutes: he won two aerial duels with Chris Wood; twice stealing the ball in the middle of Burnley, boosting the press. He dominated the game ever since.

Ben Chilwell looked good again on the left, but it was on the right that Chelsea found the most joy. Havertz, Ziyech and Mount frequently overloaded that side, creating triangles to attract Burnley’s defenders, giving Reece James time and space to create.

And it was James’ pass for the goal, which seemed quite simple as he slid the ball down the line for Ziyech, which was a key turnaround indicator for Chelsea. Too often this season, Burnley’s punt that landed on the feet of the right back would have been rejected by Kurt Zouma, ensuring that possession was maintained, yes, but more importantly, allowing the opposing team the opportunity to push, regroup and breathe.

On this occasion, James immediately passed the ball to Ziyech, who drove on the Burnley baseline – with no chance to clear bodies from the area – played a one-two with Werner, with a touch of help from Abraham, before making a mistake. – supporting Nick Pope to give Chelsea the upper hand.

It was an example of order from the football that beat Liverpool the Premier League last season: not allowing rival teams to open the pressure valve; take the rude of potentially losing the ball with the softness of creating better opportunities.

Burnley started the second half better, but Chelsea’s defense has improved almost immeasurably since Thiago Silva and Edouard Mendy entered. This was his fourth clean sheet at the trot, and it was the aerial threat, which would always come at Turf Moor. – that was treated in a particularly impressive way, by the new duo, and Zouma, who is now also improving in the opposition box.

It was his header, from a beautifully turned corner from Mount, that ended Burnley’s hopes of a comeback at the hour mark. His third goal of the season is already his best return to the Premier League.

And after a brief period in which Frank Lampard must have been wondering if the familiar tropes of missed opportunities would bite his side again, Chelsea flowed again.

Another offside pass from Burnley was intercepted by James, who fed Ziyech into the space to put him in the path of Werner, who in two touches, one to control the ball with the left and the other to sweep it into the corner of the goal. . net, showed what we all know, but has only fleetingly demonstrated this season: it’s deadly.

Chelsea has been dangerous or solid this season. This was the first iteration of the two together. The first real look at the new and improved wing, with incredible options and quality on the front foot; poise and aggression in the back. With the little one in the middle, unfairly ridiculed in recent times, proving that he is still the best in the role to which he lends his name.

Will ford is on twitter