Chelsea 0-2 Brentford: 5 Talking Points as the Blues lose third-straight home game against resolute Bees | Premier League 2023-24
Chelsea fell to a 2-0 defeat against Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday, October 28.
The Blues entered this game on the back of three wins, one draw and one defeat in their last five. Their last game was a 2-2 draw against Arsenal - a game which they ideally should have won. However, Mauricio Pochettino was eager to extend the unbeaten run as he fielded a strong XI.
The Bees, on the other hand, won just one of their five games prior to this, with three defeats and a draw. Their last outing was a comfortable 3-0 win over 10-man Burnley in the league. Thomas Frank went with his strongest side for this game.
Chelsea made a good start to the games in terms of exercising control over the proceedings as the kept the ball for 67% of the first half. Despite this dominance, they failed to convert their chances with just two attempts on target in 10 tries.
This allowed Brentford to dig deep and defend as they composed themselves and held shape. The visitors had just one shot on target from two attempts and neither team could alter the scoreline as they were deadlocked 0-0 at the break.
Chelsea kept the ball for even longer spells in the second half but were equally wasteful as they failed to hit the target in seven attempts. With just 28% of the ball, Brentford found answers they so desperately needed as they opened the scoring after 56 minutes.
Bryan Mbeumo played the ball to Ethan Pinnock, who finished to make it 1-0 to the Bees. Their second goal came deep into stoppage time as Chelsea custodian Robert Sanchez was all the way up for a corner kick. Neal Maupay passed the ball to Mbeumo as he tapped into an open net to make it 2-0.
Following Brentford's 2-0 win over Chelsea, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5. Chelsea made to regret their missed opportunities
Chelsea made a positive start to the first half with their midfielders and forwards looking to combine and find gaps in Brentford's lines. Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer all made decent starts to the contest as they kept the ball and looked to make a difference.
However, neither of them had a single attempt on target throughout the contest as they failed to make an impact in the final third. This made for very poor reading at the end of the contest as the Blues had just two shots on target in 17 attempts.
#4. Brentford maintained patience and kept their discipline
Despite not being allowed possession of the ball for too long, Brentford looked determined to execute their gameplan of counter-attacking with precision.
They had they ball for 33% of the first period and 28% of the second period but still manufactured better scoring opportunities than Chelsea. This was because their forwards Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo seem to know their roles to perfection and take turns to press and drop as they help the Bees win possession high up the pitch.
Despite limited possession, Brentford attempted seven shots in the game and hit the target five times in a positive display.
#3. The Bees score two second-half goals to secure the win
Brentford grabbed the lead in the 56th minute as Bryan Mbeumo assisted Ethan Pinnock, who headed in to put his team ahead. They sealed victory with a goal deep into stoppage time as Sanchez was way off his line for a corner kick and could not make it back in time to stop Mbeumo's attempt from rolling over the line.
Considering their limited possession, the visitors showed great spirit and executed Thomas Frank's plan to perfection to secure the win.
#2. Chelsea fall to bottom half of Premier League table
Following their fourth defeat of the season, the Blues have now fallen to 11th place in the Premier League. This has been one of their poorest starts to a league campaign since the league was rebranded in 1992-93.
Chelsea now already find themselves eight points off the Champions League spots and 14 points off the summit as they prepare for seemingly another long campaign.
#1. Brentford secured third-successive win at Stamford Bridge
Brentford found themselves on the better side of history following their emphatic 2-0 win over Chelsea.
Following their promotion three seasons ago, the Bees have now become the first and only side in Premier League history to defeat the Blues in their first three meetings at Stamford Bridge.
It makes for worrying reading for Pochettino's men, who will look to end this run the next time the two teams face-off at the Bridge.