Robbie Brady's stunning free kick denies Chelsea all three points as Burnley's impressive home run continues

Burnley 1 Chelsea 1: The visitors opened the scoring but were unable to extend their lead at the top of league to 12 points as the Clarets fought back for a hard-earned point

Robbie Brady celebrates scoring his stunning free kick to level the score (Getty)

No top team likes draws but do not be fooled into thinking that Chelsea are stumbling their way back into a title race. There will still be no such thing this season, even after Burnley held Antonio Conte’s side to a 1-1 draw at Turf Moor this afternoon.

Even if Manchester City win at Bournemouth tomorrow night, narrowing Chelsea’s lead to eight points, do not expect that gap to get pulled into zero between now and May. It is more likely that Chelsea will regroup and pull further away.

Because Chelsea are still the best team in the country. This game did not undermine that, it proved it. This was, all things considered, one of Chelsea’s hardest trips all season. Not many other sides would have been able to withstand everything thrown at them today, but Chelsea did, and they got out of here alive.

Pedro handed the visitors an early lead at Turf Moor (Getty)

Turf Moor is statistically the fourth hardest away game in the country. Only Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea themselves have taken more home points so far this season than Burnley, a point Conte underlined before the match and straight after it. Burnley struggle away but at home their aggressive muscular style, with the crowd behind them, creates a challenge that we see less and less of in English football. They ask problems that teams have forgotten how to solve.

This was a physical bombardment, with plenty of tackles and elbows that are the far side of legal in 2017. Eden Hazard got his usual kicking while Ashley Barnes laid out Cesar Azpilicueta with an elbow which was not even punished with a booking. On top of that the weather was no more welcoming, with the game taking place in a sideways snow-storm that sped up as the afternoon went on.

Plenty of teams would have wilted under all this, and plenty have so far this season. But Chelsea dug in and worked hard. They scored a brilliant opener but were pegged back by an equaliser that was even better. And then when Burnley threw everything at them after that, Thibaut Courtois made two priceless saves to stop them from taking a 2-1 lead.

Brady picked out Courtois' top right corner to perfection (Getty)

It only took seven minutes for Chelsea to go in front with an incisive counter-attack, opening up a Burnley side committed to keeping enough men behind the ball. N'Golo Kante and Pedro started the move, passing to Victor Moses who stormed down the right wing, away from Robbie Brady, the man tasked with stopping him. Moses laid a pass inside to Pedro who took it in his stride, firing the ball into the bottom corner.

Many teams would drop their heads when 1-0 down to the champions-elect, but not Burnley, not here. They came hard at Chelsea, always trying to get Andre Gray in behind, forcing David Luiz to be at his very best to stop them.

George Boyd tried his luck with a shot on goal (Getty)

Gray was a menace but it was Brady, on his home debut, who scored the equaliser. Burnley forced a free-kick 25 yards out and Brady whipped it with his left foot over the wall and into the top corner of the net, swerving too fast for Courtois to keep it out.

It would be harsh to call that a Courtois mistake but the Belgian goalkeeper responded with the determination of a man who was making up for something. He made two vital saves to stop Chelsea from slipping to 2-1 down, which would have made it a very different afternoon. First, 10 minutes before half-time, when Joey Barton put Matt Lowton in and Courtois had to dart off his line to block the shot. Then, two minutes after the re-start, Ashley Barnes played Gray in, and the striker should have done better given the space he had, but he could not beat Courtois either. It was a reminder of just how decisive Courtois can be.

Gray attempts a shot on goal (Getty)

The rest of the second half was never going to be as good as the first half. Chelsea were less assertive although when they brought Cesc Fabregas on they started to create chances again from the edge of the box. Willian and Michy Batshuayi came on too but ultimately they could not pick through Burnley’s massed ranks.

Dyche’s team could not sustain their early intensity and the ferocious match settled into more of a stalemate. Burnley, to look at their manager, players and fans, were clearly the happier side at the final whistle. But Chelsea, for all their quick disappointment, could not be too down-hearted about another small step towards the title.

Burnley (4-4-2): Heaton; Lowton, Keane, Mee, Ward; Boyd, Westwood, Barton, Brady (Arfield, 64); Barnes, Gray (Vokes, 81)

Chelsea (3-4-3): Courtois; Cahill, Luiz, Azplicueta; Moses (Willian, 72), Matic (Fabregas, 66), Kante, Alonso; Pedro (Batshuayi, 86), Diego Costa, Hazard