As Chelsea’s players scatter for the international break, gaffer Thomas Tuchel is scratching his head trying to work out how points were dropped against Burnley.

The Blues were cruising to a 1-0 win, having accumulated 25 shots on target in a one-sided contest, yet succumbed to a 79^th-minute equaliser that left 39,798 people feeling oddly cheated.

Full marks to Burnley for their persistence, and to the snarling Sean Dyche for his belief… but it remains baffling that Chelsea didn’t press home their advantage and net a couple more goals to guarantee maximum points.

Then again, look at how results have played out in the rest of the Premier League. Liverpool’s defeat by West Ham shows that the standard in the English top flight is getting better all the time.

Poppy cupcakes mark Remembrance at Stamford Bridge ahead of the Chelsea v Burnley match

Over the last five league games, only Chelsea and Arsenal are unbeaten, and a quarter of the way through the season the Blues have registered the most victories with eight.

Politicians talk of levelling up, but the stark truth in the Premier League is that any club can realistically hope to take points off anyone.

Chelsea’s dominance against Burnley was the most overwhelming in a game that the Blues have failed to win since 2015.

Man of the match was Reece James, who lit up the right side of the pitch as wing-back, earning several standing ovations from the manager, particularly when he wrong-footed opponents by cutting inside to vary the attack.

He provided Kai Havertz with the cross for the headed first-half goal, bringing James’s running total this season to four goals and three assists – more than any other Blue.