Chelsea impress as they open with three goals and three points

Andre Schurrle celebrates scoring Chelsea's wonderful second

Chelsea were the last of the title contenders to start their campaign and they arguably looked the most impressive. Alex Johnson rounds up their 3-1 win at Burnley.

Chelsea came from behind to secure a 3-1 opening Premier League win against newly-promoted Burnley at Turf Moor on Monday night.

Scott Arfield had given Sean Dyche's Clarets a dream return to the top-flight when he rifled them ahead relatively early in the first half.

However it quickly turned into a nightmare as Jose Mourinho's men responded with three goals before half time thanks to debutant Diego Costa, Andre Schurrle and Branislav Ivanovic.

The Blues were happy to settle with a two-goal cushion in the second half and saw the game out to get their title bid up and running with what turned out to be a comfortable three points from what could have been a tricky encounter in Lancashire.

Chelsea went close in the fourth minute when Schurrle's effort from the edge of the box took a deflection off Ben Mee and dropped just wide of the Burnley goal.

However the hosts came forward and took the lead in the 14th minute.

A corner was not fully cleared and the ball back in picked out the well-timed run of Matt Taylor down the left. His cross found Arfield on the edge of the area and he set himself before hitting a rising shot past the unsighted Thibaut Courtois.

The goal merely sparked Chelsea into life and they were on level terms within three minutes. Ivanovic got away down the right and his low cross was deflected off a defender onto the far post with the rebound rolling out to Costa who smashed in his first Premier League goal following his big-money move from Atletico Madrid.

It was 2-1 on 21 minutes with Chelsea making an early claim for goal-of-the season.

Some excellent passing play climaxed with Ivanovic picking out Cesc Fabregas on the edge of the box and his first-time pass into the area found the run of Schurrle who fired past Tom Heaton from an angle.

Chelsea should have had a penalty on 31 minutes when Mee's poor back-pass played in Costa who was clearly clipped by the onrushing Heaton. But instead of awarding a spot-kick and sending off the Clarets keeper for a professional foul, referee Michael Oliver brandished a yellow card to the bemused Spain international for simulation.

However the Blues didn't have to wait too long before securing a two-goal cushion with a third going in on 34 minutes. A Fabregas corner from the left was met by the unmarked Ivanovic in front of goal and he had the simple task of diverting the ball into the net from close range.

Burnley came out for the second half with renewed vigour and almost got back into the match on 49 minutes.

Arfield worked an opening just inside the area and curled a wonderful strike which was heading towards the far top corner of the net before Courtois dived at full stretch and just managed to tip the effort over his own crossbar.

Chelsea responded to that scare by shutting up shop with neither goalkeeper really tested for the remainder of the contest as Mourinho's men claimed the points to replace Manchester City at the top of the embryonic Premier League table.