Jose's Fab new boys! Mourinho hails Fabregas and Costa show
Costa celebrates his equaliser for Chelsea [PA]
Chelsea in excellent health from conceding an early goal at Turf Moor to flex their muscles, with £32million Diego Costa equalising on his debut before Andre Schurrle and then Branislav Ivanovic also scored in a burst of three goals in 17 minutes to seal the win.
The pick of the strikes came when former Arsenal favourite Fabregas, back in English football following his £30m go from Barcelona, found Schurrle with an exquisite pass.
Chelsea boss Mourinho, above, was beaming on the sidelines and did little to disguise his delight at having landed the Spaniard, who he said was his No1 transfer target.
“The team played very well, but I agree with Cesc being man of the match because he and Nemanja Matic controlled the game and dictated the intensity of the game,” said Mourinho.
“They were both good brains in this team and I am pleased with that because last season we could not control the game as we controlled it today.
“We conceded a goal but we were cool, never lost composure or the football thought, and after that we had a fantastic 25 minutes with three goals, especially the second one – a superb goal.”
Arsenal had passed up the chance to re-sign Fabregas from Barcelona – and the Gunners may now be regretting it. But he admitted becoming a Chelsea player had not even crossed his mind in anticipation of it really happened.
Sean Dyche shakes his hands with Jose Mourinho after the game [PA]
Football is unexpected, it brought me here and I will give my best to be as good as I can be
Fabregas said: “Football is unexpected, it brought me here and I will give my best to be as good as I can be.
“I’m very pleased at the moment, I want to play football. We have a very talented young team and so far, so excellent.”
Mourinho selected Thibaut Courtois in goal ahead of Petr Cech and saw him beaten after 14 minutes as Scott Arfield’s fierce shot gave Burnley the benefit.
But Courtois produced a brilliant save from the same player after the break and Mourinho, in confirming the Belgium goalkeeper will remain first choice for the time being, said he hoped Cech will still stay.
Burnley administrator Sean Dyche admits the defeat was a reality check and said: “The players will have to adapt very quickly but they know that.
“We have a strong mentality. We know it is not a sprint, it is a marathon – and it’s going to be a hard marathon.”
