Micah Richards rips into Andrey Santos as shocking Chelsea footage re-analysed
Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has been slammed for losing his man in the build-up to Burnley’s equaliser on Saturday.
The Blues were held 1-1 at Stamford Bridge after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser from the head of Zian Flemming.
Joao Pedro had put Liam Rosenior‘s side in front after just four minutes, but they failed to build on the advantage and were in trouble when they went down to 10 men in the second half.
Wesley Fofana, having already been booked in the first half, was late on James Ward-Prowse and subsequently dismissed for a second yellow card challenge.
Chelsea were undone with a corner in stoppage time, and could have lost the game had Jacob Bruun Larsen kept his header down just minutes later.
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Micah Richards slams Andrey Santos
Rosenior’s tenure at Chelsea began brilliantly after his January appointment. The Blues won six of their opening seven games under his guidance, and looked to be marching towards a finish in the top four.
Saturday’s draw marked a second consecutive disappointing Premier League result at Stamford Bridge, however.
Last week, Chelsea had been two goals in front of Leeds United before a turnaround saw them forced to ultimately settle for just a point.
| Chelsea | Match stats | Burnley |
| 66% | Possession | 34% |
| 12 | Shots | 12 |
| 2 | Shots on target | 4 |
| 1.99 | Expected goals (xG) | 0.85 |
| 9 | Corners | 5 |
And again on Saturday, the Blues panicked when leading in front of their own fans and gave up the lead.
Without naming names, a furious Rosenior slammed several of his players after the game. It was quite clear that one seam of criticism was aimed at Santos, however, and for good reason.
The Brazilian had been tasked with tracking Flemming for the all-important corner in stoppage time, but replays showed that he had stood still as his man ran past him and headed into the corner.
“Just look at Santos’ position here,” Micah Richards told BBC Match of the Day on Saturday. “They’re pointing at each other. Look how easy this is for Burnley to get through.
“As we roll it on here, he’s not even looking! He’s not even looking and he’s cost his team a goal!”
What Liam Rosenior said after Chelsea draw
Corners have been a great source of goals for Chelsea this season, but Saturday’s late scenes proved that they are vulnerable when defending them.
Speaking after the game, Rosenior said: “An assignment was missed. An assignment, a marking assignment wasn’t done. Flemming, we know, is their best header of the ball.
“And there was a player who I won’t… I’m not here to throw players under the bus, I will always protect my players, I will deal with it in the week. There was a player we assigned that duty who marked the wrong player.”
The Chelsea boss may well have been referring to a player other than Santos, but it is clear that the midfielder’s failure to follow Flemming is a part of a wider grievance he had.