Brentford stunned Chelsea with a 3-0 victory in west London on Friday night, putting the Blues’ poor run under Xabi Alonso under even more pressure. Three second-half goals from Jaidon Anthony, Igor Thiago and Fabio Carvalho settled a game Chelsea will feel they should have handled better, while Brentford continued their unbeaten start to the Premier League season.
Chelsea came into the match looking to get their campaign back on track, but Brentford made life difficult for them from the start. The home side stayed compact, worked hard without the ball and became more dangerous as the match went on.
Chelsea had the first real chance when Pedro Neto cut inside and curled an effort towards the far corner, but Caoimhin Kelleher was equal to it and made a good save.
Cole Palmer also tried to make things happen, getting through the Brentford defence on a couple of occasions, but Chelsea could not turn those moments into a goal.
The Blues were without Brazil striker Joao Pedro because of injury, and they missed his presence in attack as Brentford’s defence dealt with most of what Chelsea threw at them.
Brentford finally found the breakthrough in the 61st minute.
Jannik Schuster rose to meet a corner and headed the ball back across the goal. Anthony reacted quickest and nodded it into the net from close range.
The goal also extended Chelsea’s worrying run without a league clean sheet to 21 matches.
Brentford did not sit back after taking the lead. They continued to push forward and eventually got their reward again in the 83rd minute.
Schade raced through on a breakaway and forced a save from Emiliano Martinez. The ball, however, fell kindly to Igor Thiago, who made no mistake from close range to double Brentford’s advantage.
Chelsea needed a quick response, but it never came.
Instead, Brentford added a third in stoppage time. Schade found space on the right and sent a cross into the box, with substitute Fabio Carvalho arriving to turn the ball home.
The final whistle brought a huge celebration from the Brentford players and supporters. The victory was their first home league win over Chelsea since 1938, making the result even more special for the Bees.
Schuster said Brentford became more direct after the break and that change helped them get the goals they needed.
“When the second half began we played it more directly forward and we scored after that, so I’m just happy,” the Austrian told Sky Sports.
The win keeps Brentford unbeaten in the Premier League and moves them up to third place, although their position could change once the rest of the weekend’s fixtures are played.
Chelsea, meanwhile, remain seventh and now have three league matches without a win.
The Blues had scored 10 goals in their first four league games, but their attacking threat was limited against Brentford. Alonso also made five changes to his starting XI, with captain Reece James missing through injury.
Danny Welbeck was handed his first league start for Chelsea, while Jordan Henderson made his debut against the club he played for last season.
Moises Caicedo was also unavailable because of the injury that has restricted him to just a few minutes of action this season.
For Brentford, everything came together after the break. For Chelsea, it was another night where the problems at both ends of the pitch were impossible to ignore.
