15 December 2024
Chelsea 2 Brentford 1
Chelsea welcomed Brentford to Stamford Bridge for a London derby. The Bees have yet to win on the road in the league and this would prove to be a tough test against an in-form Blues. Maresca will not be drawn on title talk but with their rivals dropping points again this weekend, they may well stumble into a battle for top spot that they never intended.
The hosts were brimming with confidence coming into this game and started with that positive mindset. The form of striker Nicolas Jackson is one of the reasons why things are going so well in West London and he had the first glimpse of goal. Caicedo knocked a ball over the visitors’ defence and the Chelsea striker got a well hit shot off at the near post but Flekken was equal to it.
Moments later, Gusto had time and space on the ball outside the box. He checked onto his left-foot and looked to shoot but it was well blocked. It dropped to Palmer on the edge of the penalty area who drilled an effort at goal but once again the Brentford keeper palmed it away. It was seeming like it was going to be a busy day for Flekken.
He almost gifted The Blues an opening goal when his stray pass presented the ball to Madueke. The winger cut inside and headed into the box. He got a shot off but Flekken redeemed himself when he saved with an outstretched leg. It is crazy how many teams in the top-flight continue to try and pass it out from the back and inadvertently become the architects of their own downfall.
Towards the end of the half, Madueke put a teasing ball into the box. Cucurella ghosted in between two defenders and threw himself at the ball like a human dart. His glancing header nestled into the bottom corner with the keeper unable to react. Stamford Bridge erupted and the fans expected to see a dominant display from this point.
It is strange how Thomas Frank’s side are struggling so badly away from home. They look like two different teams, all depending on where you play them. It has to be a mentality issue amongst the players as they are more than capable of performing away from the Gtech Community Stadium. That is the conundrum that the manager has to solve right now.
After the interval, Palmer started getting into the game more. When The Blues are getting it to the feet of their main man, only bad things can happen to their opponents. He twisted and turned on the edge of the box before feeding it wide to Sancho. The winger got to the byline and cut it back to Jackson. He bypassed the keeper, giving the striker an open goal but he skied it over the bar.
That was the Jackson we were used to seeing last season. The youngster still is a raw talent but he has shown enough this season that he has all the attributes to succeed at Chelsea. The coaches just need to sand down some rough edges and stop him from snatching at chances all too often. At this point, Sanchez was sat in his goal doing cross-stitch to pass the time.
After an hour of play The Bees finally ventured into the final third and forced a corner. As the hosts struggled to clear their lines, a header saw the ball drop to Norgaard completely unmarked. He hit a first-time volley which drew an acrobatic save from The Blues’ keeper. It was a warning to Maresca’s side how quickly things can change if you do not put the game to bed.
Jackson nearly sealed the win as he tried to bend one in the far corner from outside the box. Flekken was at full-stretch as the ball dropped agonisingly wide of the post. It was a superb effort from the Chelsea man but he was left frustrated by his luck. As dominant as the hosts had been in this game, with such a slender lead, there was an air of nervousness in the capital.
Brentford almost punished The Blues on a counter-attack. As it was crossed in, Carvalho got there before Sanchez but his touch saw the ball come thundering off the underside of the crossbar. Schade was lurking to pick up the scraps and tried an overhead kick from a tight angle. It was a tough chance but his effort went looping onto the top of the net.
As the visitors pushed forward looking for goal, Caicedo won the ball back and Chelsea countered with pace. It was played into the path of Jackson by Fernandez and the striker drilled his shot past Flekken and into the back of the net. The home fans were relieved that they now had the safety net of a two goal lead to ensure a Stamford Bridge win.
Maresca’s side have a wealth of expensive talent but their weak spot is still their defence. Even in games where they dominate, the opposition look capable of opening them up at will. In the dying moments of normal time, Mbuemo was set clear and he calmly slotted past Sanchez to make it a nervy finish in this London derby.
The Blues managed to hold on for all three points and, more importantly, closed the gap to leaders Liverpool to two points. They are now four clear of Arsenal in third spot also. Champions League qualification is a must for the club. After the final whistle, Cucurella was shown a second yellow card for a fracas with the visitors. He must have somewhere to be next weekend.
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