Chelsea v Brentford Live Commentary & Result, 26/04/2023, Premier League

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	MCI Manchester City	38	28	5	5	94	33	+61	89	L D W W W
2	ARS Arsenal	38	26	6	6	88	43	+45	84	W L L W W
3	MUN Manchester United	38	23	6	9	58	43	+15	75	W W W W L
4	NEW Newcastle United	38	19	14	5	68	33	+35	71	D D W D L
5	LIV Liverpool	38	19	10	9	75	47	+28	67	D D W W W
6	BHA Brighton & Hove Albion	38	18	8	12	72	53	+19	62	L D W L W
7	AVL Aston Villa	38	18	7	13	51	46	+5	61	W D W L L
8	TOT Tottenham Hotspur	38	18	6	14	70	63	+7	60	W L L W L
9	BRE Brentford	38	15	14	9	58	46	+12	59	W W W L W
10	FUL Fulham	38	15	7	16	55	53	+2	52	L D W W L
11	CRY Crystal Palace	38	11	12	15	40	49	-9	45	D D W L W
12	CHE Chelsea	38	11	11	16	38	47	-9	44	D L L D W
13	WOL Wolverhampton Wanderers	38	11	8	19	31	58	-27	41	L D L W L
14	WHU West Ham United	38	11	7	20	42	55	-13	40	L W L W L
15	BOU AFC Bournemouth	38	11	6	21	37	71	-34	39	L L L L W
16	NFO Nottingham Forest	38	9	11	18	38	68	-30	38	D W D W L
17	EVE Everton	38	8	12	18	34	57	-23	36	W D L W D
18	LEI Leicester City	38	9	7	22	51	68	-17	34	W D L L D
19	LEE Leeds United	38	7	10	21	48	78	-30	31	L L D L L
20	SOU Southampton	38	6	7	25	36	73	-37	25	D L L L L

That's all for today, goodbye!

Brentford remain in the hunt for a European place with that win while Chelsea are now six points off the top half of the table. They face Arsenal in their next league game while Brentford host Nottingham Forest.

The first half was fairly quiet with both sides struggling to produce quality attacking moments. The Bees did find a breakthrough in the 37th minute when Azpilicueta scored an own goal from a corner. Zanka flicked the ball on from Jensen's cross, and the Chelsea captain turned the ball past Kepa. The hosts struggled to create chances before the break as Brentford led 1-0 at half-time. Chelsea were much better in the second half, largely down to substitutes Aubameyang and Mudryk. They failed to score despite an abundance of chances and were punished by Mbeumo in the 78th minute. The forward scored on the counter-attack to seal a 2-0 win for Brentford.

90' + 4' FULL TIME: CHELSEA 0-2 BRENTFORD

90' + 3' Raya is helping Brentford run down the clock as he takes a lot of time before his goal kick. The Chelsea players are not complaining as they know this game is beyond them.

A. Hickey

R. Henry

90' + 1' Hickey replaces Henry as Brentford's fifth and final change of the match.

90' There will be a minimum of four additional minutes.

89' Kante manages to dribble through two players and he tries to find Aubameyang with a threaded pass, but the ball rolls into the gloves of Raya.

87' Chelsea fans are starting to make their way out of the stadium as Brentford see this game through with ease. The hosts played better in the second half, but they have not been clinical in front of goal.

85' Madueke does well to win a corner after three Brentford defenders close him down. Chilwell's corner is headed away easily by Mee for the away side.

K. Schade

I. Toney

83' Schade replaces Toney as Brentford now look to see this game through.

81' Kepa almost makes a bad mistake playing out from the back as his pass to Silva is close to being intercepted by Toney, but the goalkeeper gets away with it.

N. Madueke

R. Sterling

79' Madueke comes on for Sterling with just over 10 minutes to play.

João Félix

E. Fernández

79' Felix replaces Fernandez as Chelsea try to rescue a draw.

S. Baptiste

Assist

78' Baptiste sees Mbeumo in a lot of space and plays him into the Chelsea half. The forward does the rest to potentially secure the win for Brentford.

B. Mbeumo

Goal

78' GOALLL!!! 2-0 BRENTFORD!!! MBEUMO!!! Mbeumo scores a brilliant goal to double Brentford’s lead! He carries the ball from the halfway line before cutting inside past Fofana and firing the ball in at the near post. A deflection from Silva leaves Kepa with no chance.

75' The tempo of this match is slowing down as Brentford are defending deep to soak up the pressure and hit Chelsea on the counter.

W. Fofana

Yellow Card

73' Fofana is shown a yellow card after a clash with Henry.

R. Henry

Yellow Card

73' Henry goes into the referee's book after a coming together with Fofana.

72' Chelsea have attempted 23 crosses in this match, higher than their season average of 18.1 in the Premier League. Sterling and Mudryk hold the key to an equaliser for the Blues.

70' Kante, Fernandez and Chalobah combine on the right flank before the latter sends in a good cross. Brentford manage to clear the ball away, but Chelsea are getting closer to a leveller.

68' Mbeumo is looking to run into the channels and cause confusion between Silva and Chilwell, but the Chelsea backline look a lot more assured in this half.

66' Brentford are playing with more energy now after their changes, but Chelsea are matching them and still coming at the visitors with a lot of pace.

64' Chelsea have been the much better side in this second half. Mudryk and Aubameyang have given the hosts momentum, but they are still looking for the equaliser.

M. Damsgaard

F. Onyeka

62' Onyeka makes way for Damsgaard as Brentford try to regain some control in this game.

B. Mbeumo

Y. Wissa

62' Mbeumo comes on for Wissa to lead the attack with Toney.

S. Baptiste

M. Jensen

62' Baptiste replaces Jensen for Brentford.

61' Mudryk wins a free-kick in a very good position for Chelsea. He beats Roerslev on the left wing and forces Zanka to come across and make the foul just outside of the box.

61' Chelsea work a short free-kick routine that leads to Sterling shooting from the edge of the box, but his shot fails to beat the defenders in front of him.

59' CLOSE! Aubameyang does well to beat two defenders and get a shot away in the box, but his deflected effort is saved well by Raya.

57' CHANCE! This time Silva has a great opportunity as he gets on the end of a cross from Mudryk, but his header goes past the right post and out for a goal kick!

55' CHANCE! Silva floats the ball into the box and Sterling nods it into the six-yard box for Aubamenyang. The striker beats Raya to the ball, but cannot hit the target with his header.

54' After a slip in the box from Aubameyang, he quickly gets back onto his feet and gets a shot away for the hosts. He pokes the ball through Zanka's legs, but Raya makes an easy save.

52' Brentford are under a lot of pressure early in this half as Chelsea are moving the ball a lot quicker and getting more crosses into the box.

50' Chelsea have more control in this game now because of their substitutions. Aubameyang is also causing more problems for the Brentford defenders.

48' It looks like Chalobah is playing at right-back for Chelsea now and Sterling has moved to the right wing.

M. Jensen

Yellow Card

46' Jensen receives the first booking of the game after a poor challenge.

46' Aubameyang gets the second half underway for Chelsea!

P. Aubameyang

César Azpilicueta

46' Aubamenyang comes on for Azpilicueta as Chelsea move to a back four now.

M. Mudryk

C. Gallagher

46' Mudryk replaces Gallagher at half-time for Chelsea.

Boos rang around Stamford Bridge when the half-time whistle was blown as Chelsea are not performing to the level their fans expect them to. Lampard might want to look at Aubameyang on his bench as the Blues are lacking presence in the box.

45' + 1' HALF-TIME: CHELSEA 0-1 BRENTFORD

45' + 1' Chilwell complains to the referee after he claims Roerslev pulled his arm back, but he is not awarded a free-kick just outside of the box.

45' There will be a minimum of one additional minute.

43' Silva is given time on the ball outside of the box and tries his luck from distance. He catches his strike well, but it goes wide of the left post.

41' Sterling is dropping into deeper positions to try and help Chelsea find an equaliser before the break. Brentford look fairly comfortable when defending.

39' Brentford have failed to win each of the last four Premier League games that they’ve opened the scoring in (D3 L1), including last time out in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa. Prior to this, the Bees had won 19 of their first 23 Premier League games in which they’d scored first, and never lost (D4).

César Azpilicueta

Own Goal

37' GOALLL!!! 1-0 BRENTFORD!!! AZPILICUETA OWN GOAL!! The Chelsea captain turns the ball into his own net to give Brentford the lead! Zanka wins the header from Jensen’s corner and his effort is going wide, until Azpilicueta deflects it past Kepa.

35' Fernandez catches the Brentford defenders sleeping and plays a lofted pass to Sterling, but Raya is quick off his line and collects the ball.

33' Chelsea beat the Brentford press and sweep through the opposition before Sterling picks the ball up on the right wing. He cuts onto his weaker left foot and shoots, with his effort just missing the target.

31' Fernandez shoots from a very tight angle for Chelsea, but manages to force a save from Raya and win a corner. Chilwell once again whips the ball in and Mee heads it away.

29' Onyeka is appealing for a penalty after a challenge from Chalobah, but referee Andy Madley is not interested in the call from the midfielder.

27' Mee is disappointed in himself as he fails to beat Chalobah in the air from Jensen's corner.

25' Roerslev is back on his feet after taking the ball to the gut from Chilwell's cross. Chelsea are growing in this game.

23' Silva does well to get on the end of a cross from Kante, but Raya makes an easy save.

21' Brentford slowly retreat towards their own box as Chelsea try to increase the tempo of this match. It is working well for them, but they are still lacking the final pass.

19' Chelsea win a corner after Henry turns Gallagher's cross behind. Chilwell takes the set-piece but it comes to nothing for the hosts.

17' Chelsea are winless in their last seven matches in all competitions (D2 L5), losing the last four in a row. They last had a longer winless run between October and December 1993 (11 games), which included a run of six straight defeats – the last time they lost five+ consecutively.

15' Although Sterling is taking up the striker position today, he is not an easy passing option for his team-mates. He is often surrounded by two or three Brentford defenders.

13' The Chelsea midfielders are struggling to find their feet in this game. The Brentford players are too quick for the hosts at the moment.

11' Jensen sends a long throw into the box but Kovacic heads the ball away from danger for Chelsea. Brentford do look more likely to score at the moment.

9' Neither side are showing a lot of quality in the final third as they move the ball around patiently and wait for an opening.

7' Chelsea are finding it difficult to play through the Brentford defence. The visitors are very compact as they force the Blues into wider areas.

5' Brentford are enjoying more possession to begin this match. Chelsea seem happy enough to sit back and let the visitors move the ball around.

3' Both sides start slowly as they each misplace a few passes. Brentford are already showing their direct approach as they play long balls into Toney.

1' Brentford get the game underway at Stamford Bridge!

The players are making their way out of the tunnel and onto the pitch!

Brentford have lost six of their eight away games against Chelsea in all competitions (W2), though they did come from behind to win this exact fixture 4-1 last season.

Lampard makes three changes from Chelsea's last fixture against Real Madrid as Azpilicueta, Chilwell, and Sterling replace James, Cucurella, and Havertz. Frank makes four changes as Roerslev, Zanka, Onyeka, and Wissa come into the starting 11.

SUBS: Matthew Cox, Aaron Hickey, Kevin Schade, Josh Dasilva, Saman Ghoddos, Bryan Mbeumo, Mikkel Damsgaard, Shandon Baptiste, Finley Stevens.

Brentford (5-3-2): David Raya; Mads Roerslev, Zanka, Ethan Pinnock, Ben Mee, Rico Henry; Mathias Jensen, Frank Onyeka, Vitaly Janelt; Ivan Toney, Yoane Wissa.

SUBS: Edouard Mendy, Benoit Badiashile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Christian Pulisic, Joao Felix, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mykhailo Mudryk, Hakim Ziyech, Noni Madueke.

Chelsea (3-5-1-1): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Wesley Fofana, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah; Cesar Azpilicueta, Enzo Fernandez, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ben Chilwell; Conor Gallagher; Raheem Sterling.

Brentford are not on the best run of form themselves, failing to win their last six, but a European spot is not out of the question for them. Thomas Frank’s side sit in 10th place, six points off Liverpool in seventh. The Bees will have to win most of their remaining games to get a potential Europa Conference League spot, but it is not beyond them.

Interim manager Frank Lampard has not had much of an impact on this Chelsea side as they sit 11th in the league table, winless in their last five games. Both Reece James and Mason Mount have been ruled out for the season as the Blues look to at least end their campaign on good form. Despite an abundance of signings in the attacking department, Chelsea have only scored 30 in their 31 league games this season.

Hello and welcome to the live commentary of the Premier League fixture between Chelsea and Brentford.

Chelsea v Brentford Live Commentary, 26/04/2023

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