Chelsea’s last task before the international break resulted in a humbling 3-0 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Friday night. After half-time, Jaidon Anthony, Igor Thiago and Fabio Carvalho all scored as the Blues extended their winless run in the Premier League to three matches.
Xabi Alonso made five changes to his starting XI with Reece James and Joao Pedro both missing through injury. Jordan Henderson made his Chelsea debut while Pep Chavarria, Valentin Barco and Danny Welbeck all made their first Premier League start for the club.
For the first hour of the game, the reshaped side looked disciplined, combative, and much more secure than in previous weeks. Yet the raw numbers were a cause for concern, with Brentford racking up 2.65 expected goals to Chelsea’s 0.82. Despite having 59% of the ball, the visitors couldn’t make it count against their hosts, and here are the ratings for each Blue on the night:
Emiliano Martinez: 6/10
The Argentine goalkeeper could do little about any of the three goals he conceded on Friday night. His good save on Kevin Schade’s breakaway effort merely delayed the inevitable, as Igor Thiago was there to tap in the rebound. He also started a promising counterattack with an incisive diagonal pass toward Chavarria early in the second half. His distribution was generally neat and purposeful, apart from one wayward lofted clearance.
Wesley Fofana: 6.5/10
Fofana produced arguably his most commanding display of the campaign on the right-hand side of Chelsea’s back three. Time and again, his recovery speed snuffed out danger as Brentford’s runners threatened to run away behind him. The Frenchman made more defensive contributions than any teammate in the first half. His substitution in the 71st minute for Josh Acheampong was a big mistake and disrupted Chelsea’s defensive shape. That decision looked increasingly questionable as the night went on.
Maxence Lacroix: 5/10
Lacroix had a night to forget in the heart of Chelsea’s three-man defence. The Frenchman was ball-watching as Anthony drifted unmarked into the six-yard box for the opener. He was then slow to react as Schade broke away behind for Brentford’s second goal. They were costly lapses for a defender brought in to bring composure to a fragile rearguard.
Levi Colwill: 5/10
The captain was unusually erratic in possession, frequently launching speculative long balls under little pressure. Colwill started well enough in defence, but his authority evaporated once Brentford got into their stride after the break. The Englishman hasn’t looked at home at left centre-back this season.
Pedro Neto: 4.5/10
Welbeck laid the ball off, and Neto tested Caoimhin Kelleher early with a first-time strike. That was the high point of a night that became more chaotic at right wing-back. His end product was lessened as the game went on, and his tracking back was often lacklustre. The Portuguese forward was causing the home fans no end of frustration before he was replaced by Estevao, too late, in the 87th minute.
Jordan Henderson: 6.5/10
The 36-year-old received boos from the Brentford supporters who were singing his name only a season ago. Henderson still controlled possession from deep for Chelsea, nullifying Mikkel Damsgaard effectively until the opener arrived. His shouts were heard all over, and his whipped corner just after the opener nearly brought an equaliser. His impact was much reduced once Brentford got the upper hand, but this was an encouraging debut in these testing conditions.
Valentin Barco: 6.5/10
Barco did well on his first Premier League start to harry Brentford’s midfielders relentlessly before the interval. The Argentinian combined well with Chavarria and Rogers down the left and timed his challenges well. He had a legitimate-looking penalty appeal turned away midway through the second half during Chelsea’s spell of sustained pressure. Brentford’s second-half surge was ultimately too much for him, and he was replaced by Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli in the 87th minute.
Pep Chavarria: 7/10
Chelsea’s most consistent attacking outlet was the Spaniard who stretched Brentford relentlessly on the left flank. He was the man behind the move that created Neto’s chance with a fine early cross, and his clever pass set up Rogers’ blocked effort. His decision to shoot from an acute angle moments before the opener, when he could have cut back for Palmer, was a costly misjudgment. It was still a strong case for keeping him ahead of Jorrel Hato.
Cole Palmer: 6.5/10
Palmer found the congested central zones of Brentford overwhelming, with a lot of markers coming together whenever he had the ball. He was dancing into the penalty area early on before being crowded out. Still the primary creative outlet for Chelsea, the England international worked hard without the ball. It’s not that Palmer was especially poor; it’s that Brentford deserve a lot of credit for cancelling him out.
Morgan Rogers: 6/10
Rogers was Chelsea’s most incisive attacker in the first half, recording four shots before the break. Jannik Schuster bravely blocked his best effort, a volley shot from the middle of the area. The £117m signing faded badly after half-time and might have gone up more aggressively for the aerial sequence that led to the opener. He later played the game as a makeshift centre-forward, a position which further curtailed his influence.
Danny Welbeck: 5/10
The 35-year-old made his first Premier League start for Chelsea with Joao Pedro injured. Welbeck’s physicality was used cleverly to create Neto’s early chance, Chelsea’s most dangerous moment of the first half. He did make that contribution, but there was little penetration beyond that and no mobility to trouble Brentford’s high line. Geovany Quenda’s introduction to replace him in the 71st minute was an implicit recognition of his lack of influence.
Geovany Quenda: 5/10
The Portuguese teenager was introduced in the 71st minute as Chelsea looked for an equaliser. Quenda had just 13 touches in his cameo and could not unlock Brentford’s resolute defence. He was energetic, but he had no chances to affect the contest.
Josh Acheampong: 5/10
Acheampong came on in the 71st minute for Fofana, but the reason for the substitution was not evident. The young defender was helpless to prevent Chelsea’s late defensive collapse as Brentford cut through the spaces behind them. It was a thankless task for a player thrust into an increasingly ragged backline.
Estevao: N/A
The Brazilian winger was brought on in the 87th minute when Brentford had already made it 2-0. Many fans had been crying out for his introduction much sooner, particularly with Chelsea’s creative stagnation after the break. He had not been given the time for a worthwhile evaluation.
Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli: N/A
The 16-year-old replaced Barco in the 87th minute to make Premier League history. At the age of 16 years and 225 days, he became Chelsea’s youngest-ever Premier League player, breaking the record set by Jody Morris. The Sydney-born midfielder also became the first player born in 2010 to feature in the competition.