Surprise Chelsea hero puts in work with 16 defensive contributions in Burnley win | OneFootball

Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos delivered when they needed someone to step up in midfield and allow Moises Caicedo to have a much-needed rest in Saturday's 2-0 win over Burnley.

It was not a smooth win that Chelsea would have liked, but a win is a win, and they were able to rest a few key players.

As expected, Caicedo, Wesley Fofana, and Estevao did not make the starting line-up, as Chelsea must also keep Tuesday's Champions League clash with Barcelona in mind.

Facing Burnley's resilient low block, Chelsea struggled to create big chances in the game.

It was not until the 37th minute that Jamie Gittens unleashed a very good cross, taking advantage of Marc Cucurella's brilliant movement.

It was the visitors' first big chance in the game, and Pedro Neto did not waste it as he headed the ball past Martin Dubravka and gave Chelsea the lead.

Enzo Fernandez eventually secured the win late in the game after substitute Marc Guiu's incredible run inside the box.

IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

The star of the game, however, was Santos, who played the number six role incredibly well in Caicedo's absence.

He was eventually named the player of the match, too.

The Brazil international made an outstanding 16 defensive contributions in the game, including three tackles, four interceptions, one block, and four recoveries.

To put it into perspective, his midfield partner Enzo Fernandez had eight defensive contributions.

IMAGO / News Images

Santos' incredible performance is such a relief for Chelsea, who have had a hard time managing Caicedo's workload since the start of the season.

It would not be a surprise if the 21-year-old will now get even more opportunities to start.

Despite naturally being a number six, he is quite versatile and capable of playing as a number eight or a number 10. This allows him to be paired with either Fernandez or Caicedo in midfield.

With this win, Chelsea now sit second in the Premier League table and are putting pressure on Manchester City, who lost to Newcastle United, and Arsenal, who face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.