Chelsea blow chance to top Premier League at Brentford
AFP, London :
Chelsea missed the chance to go top of the Premier League as Fabio Carvalho’s 93rd minute equaliser salvaged a 2-2 draw for Brentford in Saturday’s west London derby.
The world champions paid for Enzo Maresca’s experimental team selection as Kevin Schade fired Brentford into a first-half lead.
Substitute Cole Palmer led the Chelsea revival on his return from injury to equalise before Moises Caicedo’s thunderous strike looked to have snatched all three points for the Blues.
But Brentford’s persistent threat from long throw-ins got its reward at the death when Carvalho was left unmarked to tap in from close range.
Chelsea remain unbeaten this season but sit only fifth, one point behind the leading quartet of Arsenal, Tottenham, Bournemouth and Liverpool.
Maresca will wonder what might have been had he not seemingly had one eye on Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Bayern Munich.
Jorrel Hato struggled on his full Premier League debut, while Wesley Fofana only lasted 45 minutes on his first start of the season.
Facundo Buonanotte and Jamie Gittens were unimpressive in attacking areas as Chelsea were made to pay for wasting 45 minutes.
“I think we were much, much better (in the second half),” said Maresca. “I think we deserve to win the game but it’s a shame.
We lost two points.”
Brentford saw Yoane Wissa join Bryan Mbeumo in leaving the club this week, stripping to Bees of a combined 39 Premier League goals last season.
The onus is on Schade to step into void left by the departed duo. The German delivered with his first of the season on 35 minutes.
Jordan Henderson’s through ball picked out Schade’s run and he cut inside Tosin Adarabioyo before firing into the bottom corner.
Maresca wasted no time in showing his dissatisfaction with a flat first 45 minutes.
Marc Cucurella, Reece James and Tyrique George replaced Hato, Fofana and Buonanotte at the break.
George forced Caoimh¡n Kelleher into a fine save, but the game truly turned on the introduction of Palmer on 56 minutes.
The England international missed the Blues previous two games through injury but showed no signs of rustiness to level five minutes after his arrival.
Joao Pedro did well to head down Enzo Fernandez’s cross and Palmer pounced for his first non-penalty Premier League goal since January.
Schade nearly restored Brentford’s lead straight away as Robert Sanchez got down smartly to his right to save.
Palmer should have doubled his tally when he fired too close to Kelleher with just the goalkeeper to beat after an electric burst from Pedro Neto.
But it was a more irregular source of goals who put Chelsea in front.
Another Chelsea debutant Alejandro Garnacho’s cross was cleared to the edge of the box, where Caicedo was lurking and, after steadying himself, took aim to smash into the top corner.
Garnacho, though, undid his good work by switching off deep into stoppage time and allowing Carvalho to turn in Kristoffer Ajer’s flick-on.
Brentford boss Keith Andrews was promoted from the club’s set-piece coach after Thomas Frank left to take charge of Tottenham and said there has been too much “snobbery” around utilising long-throws.
“It’s not new to us,” said Andrews. (Last season) big Champions League games it was quite prominent and I felt it would probably trickle down the game.
“I felt there’s a little bit of snobbery in the game around scenarios like that, but if the big boys do it then it seems to be accepted.”
A draw edges Brentford up to 12th with four points from their first four games.