Whether the wounds were self-inflicted or as a result of a series of calamitous decisions outside of their control, as Jose Mourinho suggested of the performance of referee Martin Atkinson, Chelsea’s players need no further warnings that the league title is theirs to lose.

By Saturday evening, and with Manchester City having taking full advantage of Chelsea’s stumble in this ill-tempered encounter with a Burnley side fighting to stay in the division, the margin between the title contenders had dropped to five points.

Mourinho was left fuming at the official’s decisions, which included two pretty convincing penalty claims and the red card shown to influential midfielder Nemanja Matic, who retaliated against Ashley Barnes’s horror challenge by shoving the player on 69 minutes. Barnes should have been punished for a reckless challenge on Branislav Ivanovic earlier in the match.

It was hard not to feel for Mourinho and his players. He remained tight-lipped in the post match media conference but did bizarrely highlight the time in the game that the four controversial incidents took place. 

“I will leave it with you who saw the game. I don’t want to be punished,” said the Chelsea boss, who has already been fined already at the end of January when he suggested that there was a campaign against his team.

Defender Ben Mee equalised for Burnley on 81 minutes, giving manager Sean Dyche’s men a much-needed point in their survival fight.

Things were looking good for Chelsea when Ivanovic put his side ahead from close range after superb work by Eden Hazard on 14 minutes. Chelsea should have added to their goal on numerous occasions but couldn’t find their way beyond goalkeeper Tom Heaton.

However, late on, Mee lost his marker momentarily in the penalty area before firmly planting his headed effort beyond Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois.

Chelsea now need to recover before their next match on Sunday when they face London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup final.

Burnley welcome Swansea City next week looking for that victory that will haul them out of danger.