Mourinho hails 'maestro' Fabregas after win at Burnley

Burnley 1-3 Chelsea

Jose Mourinho hailed the influence of Cesc Fabregas after the Spaniard’s man-of-the-match display in the 3-1 win at Burnley.

Fabregas, who was signed in the summer from Barcleona, enjoyed a sparkling debut as Chelsea began their quest for the Barclays Premier League title in fine fashion, laying on assists for Andre Schurrle and Branislav Ivanovic after fellow debutant Diego Costa had cancelled out Scott Arfield's stunning early opener for Burnley. Chelsea needed just seven minutes to turn the match around after Arfield had given promoted Burnley hope of a famous victory, and Mourinho earmarked Fabregas's performance as the key to an impressive triumph.

"We had a good reaction, and the first part of that reaction is the fact that emotionally we were not affected by the goal conceded," the Mourinho said. "We conceded the goal and kept playing according to the way we are training and to the way we want to play.

"The players were very calm. They never lost their composure, they never lost the footballing idea, and after that we had a fantastic 20-25 minutes with three goals - especially the second one was a fantastic goal, plus the penalty that the linesman decided not to give - and in the second half we had control of the game." As for which player stood out for his team, Mourinho picked Fabregas.

"I agree completely with you when you give the Cesc the man of the match - he really was the maestro, he controlled the tempo of the game," he said. "He was the man that dictated the speed, intensity and the tempo of the game."

The former Arsenal captain was quick to praise his team-mates for making him feel at home since his switch from Barcelona, and is hopeful of a successful first season back in the Barclays Premier League.

"You always want to do well and I love playing football," Fabregas said. "We have a young talented team and so far so good. They made it easy for me by making me welcome from day one.

"I'm expecting a good year in front of us. This [signing for Chelsea] is not something I would have expected. But football is unexpected. It has brought me here and I want to be as good as I can be."