Antonio Conte identified desire, commitment and sacrifice as key ingredients in Chelsea winning back-to-back league games for the first time since December. It will console Álvaro Morata to know the Chelsea manager thought he embodied them all. Morata misses were the only blot on an otherwise encouraging night for Conte’s team at Burnley as they preserved faint hopes of Champions League qualification.

Chelsea’s £58m record signing cut a furious figure when substituted shortly after squandering a glorious opportunity to seal the 65th win of Conte’s 100-game reign. The Spain international exchanged words with a mocking Burnley crowd behind the dug-out and threw away his boots in disgust before receiving a consoling pat from Cesc Fàbregas. Victor Moses’ 70th minute winner ensured Morata’s miss did not matter and, while it may hinder his chances of starting Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, the striker’s overall contribution alongside Olivier Giroud was ample consolation to Conte.

“I think Álvaro must be angry because when you have a chance to score, especially for a striker, it can change your confidence,” the Chelsea manager said. “I think he was angry with himself for the chance he missed but I saw a very good performance. I am happy I tried two strikers. They played very well. To see Giroud and Morata play this way “there was a good combination and a desire to press. This could be an option for Sunday and maybe the future. It can be a good option when players show you this desire and sacrifice themselves without the ball for the team.”

The FA Cup may have assumed greater importance than Conte dared imagine back in August but he and his players are not giving up on a top-four finish lightly. They are five points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham with four matches to play but their superiority over a Burnley side that had not lost at Turf Moor since 20 January, and had the opportunity to leapfrog Arsenal in sixth following five consecutive league wins, should restore belief beyond Wembley. Conte made six changes to the side that defeated Southampton in the league last weekend. He changed Chelsea’s formation too, opting for Giroud and Morata at the head of a 3-5-2 with Pedro in central midfield, but there was no evidence of disruption as the visitors gave a commanding display.

Conte said: “It won’t be easy because it is five points to Tottenham but the only thing we can do is try to get three points in every game from now until the end.”

Giroud and Morata established an immediate rapport, combining instinctively and giving the Burnley defence no respite in possession all night. The former Arsenal striker released his partner with a neat flick over James Tarkowski. Morata’s run took him wide but his low shot was goal-bound only to strike goalkeeper Nick Pope’s legs and deflect wide.

The England World Cup hopeful was not so fortunate from Chelsea’s next attack. Moses was the instigator with a driving run that caught Stephen Ward unawares, although credit is due to Gary Cahill for the perfectly-timed delivery that dropped at the feet of the right wing-back. Moses pulled his cross back from the byline towards Giroud. Pope’s fingertips got there first, but only succeeded in steering the ball against the arm and thigh of Long before it dropped slowly, agonisingly, over the line.

Burnley responded strongly with Ashley Barnes a constant menace but it was Chelsea who came closest to extending their lead before the interval. Giroud sent Morata through on goal for a second time only for Pope to deny the former Real Madrid and Juventus striker his 15th goal of the season.

Conte had no complaints with Morata’s work rate or the pace that frequently stretched Burnley. His finishing was a different matter, however, and there was no clearer illustration of his lack of composure when sent clear for a third time. Kanté was the provider, intercepting Matthew Lowton’s attempted pass and releasing Morata from inside the Chelsea half. The striker galloped through and his options appeared to improve when Pope stayed on his six-yard line. Morata lined up his shot but, to widespread disbelief among the away fans, failed to hit the target. It would be his last contribution before being replaced by Eden Hazard, who brought a calm assurance to the closing stages.

Morata’s miss assumed greater significance when Burnley levelled courtesy of a wild deflection off Barnes’ heel. Johann Berg Gudmundsson tried his luck from distance and it paid dividends when his shot struck his team-mate and sailed into the far corner with Courtois stranded. Chelsea players converged on the referee to protest that Barnes was offside. He was level with Cahill when the ball was struck and Burnley were back in the game. But not for long.

Emerson produced an impressive display on the left for Chelsea and it was his searching cross that produced the winner for Moses. Giroud was unable to connect with another of his scorpion kicks and the delivery dropped invitingly for the unmarked wing-back at the back post. Moses drilled a low shot past Pope for a deserved, hard-fought away win.