Cole Palmer went close to a last-gasp winner with the final kick of the match as Chelsea were held to a 0-0 draw by west London rivals Brentford.
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There was nothing to separate the teams in Sunday’s match at a sunny Gtech Community Stadium, though not for a lack of opportunities.
Yoane Wissa went closest for the hosts, while Chelsea kept Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken busy before substitute Palmer curled just over at the end.
The draw marks Brentford’s first home clean sheet in the Premier League this season – the Bees sit in 12th, a point back from Crystal Palace, but have not won at home in the league this year.
Chelsea, meanwhile, remain in fourth, one point ahead of Manchester City.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
34 | +23 | 61 |
| 5 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
34 | +19 | 60 |
| 6 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
33 | +14 | 60 |
| 7 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
34 | +5 | 57 |
| 8 |
Fulham
FUL
|
34 | +4 | 51 |
How the match unfolded
The first half was bookended by two big openings for Chelsea, both crafted by Reece James, who crossed on to the heads of Christopher Nkunku and Tosin Adarabioyo, but neither could hit the target.
In between, Keane Lewis-Potter and Bryan Mbeumo combined smartly down the left, the latter setting up Wissa, whose shot nestled into the side netting, while Mikkel Damsgaard spurned a big opportunity when he was put through one-on-one with Robert Sanchez.
Nicolas Jackson shot wide early in the second half, and he then very nearly forced Sepp van den Berg to turn into his own net, but Flekken made a strong reflex save.
The Blues came to life with the introduction of talisman Palmer and Pedro Neto, the latter twice testing Flekken, whose counterpart Sanchez then had to be alert to deny Mbeumo at the other end, with Van den Berg and Wissa heading off target.
Palmer nearly snatched all three points, but his brilliant strike just skimmed over.
Blues away drought continues
Pre-match, Enzo Maresca acknowledged that managing fatigue would be crucial, with Chelsea returning to action after a short turnaround following their 1-0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday.
Maresca’s concerns proved valid, as his heavily rotated Chelsea side looked flat and uninspired for much of the first half.
Away matches have been something of a stumbling block for the Blues in recent times. Coming into this derby, they had lost each of their last four Premier League matches on the road.
While they did not suffer a loss, Maresca will know that his side did not perform to their level, particularly in the first half.
Their struggles eased significantly with substitutions in the second though, with Jackson, Palmer and Neto providing just the right kind of impetus for the visitors.
Chelsea now turn their attention to the UEFA Conference League as they face Legia Warsaw in the first leg of their quarter-final before hosting Ipswich Town next weekend.
Home struggles roll on for Brentford
After Sandro Tonali’s stunner condemned Brentford to defeat in their midweek match at Newcastle United, Thomas Frank would have been hoping for a strong reaction in this derby.
And he got it in flashes. The Bees were, at times, clever and sharp, and they created plenty of decent openings, including big moments for Wissa and Damsgaard, who tripped when he was through on goal in the first half.
Their home form, though, has dropped off starkly from earlier in the season. Brentford have now gone eight Premier League matches without a win at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Frank will undoubtedly be relieved that his side picked up their first home clean sheet of the season though, in no small part due to the tremendous efforts of Flekken.
He was called into action numerous times to keep out clever strikes from Jackson, Neto and James, as well as that great stop to spare Van den Berg’s blushes.
Brentford face Arsenal next in another London derby before they host Brighton & Hove Albion.
That is one of just three league home matches remaining for Brentford this season and Frank will need to find a way to get his team to rediscover that winning formula on their own turf before the campaign is out if they are to push for a top-half finish.
Match reports
Brentford report | Chelsea report
What the managers said
Thomas Frank: "The performance overall was very good, we were playing against a top team with a good manager. They are well-coached, they’ve spent billions on players and I think the way we played and performed today, we had the better chances to win the game."
Enzo Maresca: "I think we shot more than 20 times, I think the only thing we missed has been the goal but overall, it’s been a good performance.
"We played Thursday night, so the idea was to start the game in one way and finish in another way. I think the plan nearly worked. We just the missed the goal."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Brentford have lost just one of their last seven league matches against Chelsea (W3 D3), scoring more goals (11) than they’ve conceded (five) in total across that time.
Brentford have won just one of their last seven home Premier League London derbies (D4 L3) – a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace in August this season.
Chelsea last endured a longer winless run on the road in the top flight between April 2000 and March 2001 (16 matches).