Brentford 3-0 Chelsea was a game of two halves at the Gtech Community Stadium on Friday night. Chelsea imposed themselves in the first but never found a way through. Brentford scored three after the hour, and the win took them to third in the Premier League.
Jaidon Anthony, Igor Thiago and Fábio Carvalho got the goals. Chelsea are now winless in three.
Key moments
61′: Anthony opens the scoring. Mikkel Damsgaard’s corner found two Brentford players unmarked, according to ESPN’s report. Jannik Schuster headed it back across goal and Anthony finished.
83′: Thiago makes it 2-0. Kevin Schade’s shot was saved and Thiago was there to follow up.
90+4′: Carvalho seals it. Schade, involved in both later goals, delivered a low cross and Carvalho scored the third.
Xabi Alonso made five changes to his side. Jordan Henderson made his Chelsea debut, and João Pedro was absent through injury, with Danny Welbeck starting in his place. Chelsea imposed themselves in the opening half without creating a real goal threat. After the first goal, the game got away from them.
What it means
Brentford are third on 9 points from five games, unbeaten in the league (two wins, three draws). They trail Arsenal and Manchester City by three points, though both of those sides have played one game fewer. Their goal difference of +6 is level with City’s.
Chelsea are seventh on 7 points from five, with two wins, one draw and two defeats. That is a long way from the start they made: they won their first two league games, then lost to Arsenal, drew with Hull City and have now lost at Brentford.
The number that stands out is at the back. Chelsea have conceded 12 goals in five league games, more than any other side in the division. Three of them came on Friday, all in the last half hour, and the first came from a corner where the marking failed.
Chelsea are seventh, just outside the top six, and five points behind the leaders having played a game more. The defensive record is the first thing Alonso has to fix.
Looking ahead
Both sides now break for internationals. They return on Saturday 10 October. Brentford travel to Aston Villa at Villa Park, and Chelsea host Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.
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