Chelsea’s hopes of European football took another hit as they failed to beat Brentford for a fifth successive match as the two West London clubs battled to a 2-2 draw.
Thomas Frank’s team had led until the 83rd minute but Axel Disasi headed home his first goal since the opening weekend against Liverpool to earn a point.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
38 | +23 | 60 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
38 | -1 | 60 |
| 9 |
West Ham
WHU
|
38 | -14 | 52 |
| 10 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
38 | -1 | 49 |
| 11 |
Brighton
BHA
|
38 | -7 | 48 |
How the match unfolded
There was no Neal Maupay for Brentford as Yoanne Wissa took the Frenchman’s place in attack for the Bees. Keane Lewis-Potter and Ben Mee were also out as Mads Roerslev and Nathan Collins returned.
Mauricio Pochettino made one change, with Trevoh Chalobah replacing Raheem Sterling.
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Chelsea assumed early control of the match, holding 72 per cent possession in the first half but struggled to create clear-cut opportunities.
Nicolas Jackson came close to opening the scoring after receiving a through-ball from Enzo Fernandez and rounding Mark Flekken, but his weak shot was cleared by Zanka.
However five minutes later the striker redeemed himself with a leaping headed goal between the two Brentford centre-backs from a well-placed Malo Gusto cross.
Thomas Frank’s side were much more combative in the second half and it soon paid off as Roerslev scored his first goal in over two years, smashing home a loose ball after Sergio Reguilion’s effort had been blocked.
Brentford went close soon after as Vitaly Janelt’s low driven effort from the edge of the box sliced through the legs of Chalobah to hit a post.
The home team continued to attack and were rewarded by Wissa’s spectacular goal. Frank Onyeka’s reflex flick-up in the area was converted by the Congolese’s bicycle kick.
But with seven minutes remaining, Disasi earned Chelsea a point as he headed in a good curling cross by Cole Palmer who received the ball from a corner.
The point takes Brentford above Everton into 15th on 26 points, six clear of the bottom three. Chelsea remain 11th with 36 points.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 |
Fulham
FUL
|
38 | -6 | 47 |
| 14 |
Wolves
WOL
|
38 | -15 | 46 |
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -11 | 40 |
| 16 |
Brentford
BRE
|
38 | -9 | 39 |
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -18 | 32 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
38 | -33 | 26 |
Club reports
Brentford report | Chelsea report
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Chelsea are unbeaten in five consecutive Premier League London derbies in a single season (W4 D1) for the first time since May 2021 (W5).
Chelsea conceded their third Premier League goal in the opening five minutes of the second half this season, they last shipped more such goals in a single campaign in 2003-04 (4).
Brentford have conceded 15 headed goals in the Premier League this season, at least three more than any other side in the competition.
Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson scored his eighth Premier League goal of the season, ending a run of six league games without netting - only Cole Palmer (10) has scored more for the Blues in the competition this season.