Brentford vs Chelsea Review
Fábio Carvalho scored a 93rd-minute equalizer as Brentford secured a 2-2 draw against Chelsea at the Gtech Community Stadium, a result that at least allowed the Blues to keep their unbeaten start to the season. After the international break, Enzo Maresca faced some choices when picking his starting lineup. Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo, both of whom had played for their South American national teams during the week, were included, while Marc Cucurella and captain Reece James were on the bench whiles the unwell Estêvão was not in the squad at all. Furthermore, Cole Palmer was also among the substitutes, and Chelsea missed his creativity during a lackluster first half.
There were limited opportunities for both teams, but it was the home side who managed to convert one of the only two shots on target from either team before halftime. Jordan Henderson delivered a perfectly weighted pass for Kevin Schade to chase, and after cutting inside Tosin Adarabioyo, Schade scored by placing the ball into the bottom corner with a slight deflection. In the closing minutes of the first half, Chelsea posed a threat, with Fernández’s corner hitting the post being their closest chance to equalize.
Brentford began the second half aiming to increase their lead, but the substitutions of James and Cucurella gave Chelsea much greater control. Although Cucurella’s shot was saved by Caoimhín Kelleher, it was the introduction of Palmer that brought the quality Chelsea needed. Having been on the pitch for only a few minutes, the England international demonstrated his skill by calmly placing the ball into the corner from inside the box to level the score.
Both teams were searching for a winner, with Schade forcing a strong save from Robert Sánchez, and Palmer missing a chance to put Chelsea ahead from Pedro Neto’s cutback, as Kelleher blocked his shot. As the match neared its end, Brentford tried to hold on for a draw, but Chelsea had other ideas. Alejandro Garnacho, making his debut for the visitors, drove to the byline and delivered a cutback that was only partially cleared, allowing Caicedo to calmly strike the ball into the net.
At the other end, Sánchez denied Dango Ouattara as Brentford pushed forward, eventually scoring deep into injury time when Carvalho tapped in at the back post following a long throw from Schade. This result means Chelsea missed the opportunity to top the table and will need to recover quickly ahead of their UEFA Champions League trip to Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Brentford will be pleased to have scored so late as they continue adjusting to life without Thomas Frank.
