Brentford vs Chelsea LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction tonight
The Blues consolidated their place at the top of the table as the high-flying Bees came close to pulling off another shock
Chelsea held off a late onslaught from Brentford to achieve a narrow away victory on Saturday and consolidate their place at the top of the Premier League table.
Thomas Tuchel’s side had emerged as early frontrunners for the title, with confidence clearly flowing after their Champions League triumph in the spring, but they recently suffered back-to-back defeats against top teams in Man City and Juventus to somewhat lose momentum. The Blues have now responded with two straight wins, however, this victory over a spirited Brentford outfit earning Chelsea three invaluable points.
Left-back Ben Chilwell, making just his second league start of the season, fired the visitors ahead on the cusp of half-time, blasting a superb half-volley past David Raya for his third goal in as many games for club and country. Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was equally important here, however, making a string of superb saves late in the game to help his side survive the swarming Bees. The best of the lot was a stop with his face to deny Pontus Jansson, though the Senegal international then also crucially tipped over a Christian Norgaard overhead kick from close range to secure the win.
Follow all the fallout from the top-flight meeting:
Brentford 0 - 0 Chelsea
15 mins: Onyeka is okay to play on but he loses the ball to Lukaku. Chelsea work it up to Werner who drives forward and slips a pass out wide to Azpilicueta. His cross from the right is blocked and goes out for a throw in.
Brentford 0 - 0 Chelsea
12 mins: Canos fouls Chilwell on Chelsea’s left side just as the ball is played inside to Loftus-Cheek. Loftus-Cheek gets to the ball but collides with Onyeka who drops to the floor. He stays down and needs looking over by the medical staff. It looked as though he took a knock to the face.
Brentford 0 - 0 Chelsea
9 mins: Christensen fires a long ball over to the right side of the pitch for Azpilicueta to chase down. He does his best and catches the ball just in front of the byline but he can’t get it under control and knocks the ball out for a Brentford throw in.
Brentford 0 - 0 Chelsea
6 mins: Chilwell swings a Chelsea corner into the middle of the box but Raya come out to claim the ball. He kicks it forward to slip Bryan Mbeumo free on the left side but Chelsea recover well with Werner sprinting back to halt Mbeumo’s run.
Brentford 0 - 0 Chelsea
3 mins: Lovely, lovely footwork from Loftus-Cheek. He glides past two defenders who try to tackle him before poking a pass to the edge of the box for Lukaku. The ball is wide of the forward but almost falls for Werner who can’t control the ball and prods it to David Raya.
Brentford 0 - 0 Chelsea
Kick off: Chelsea kick off the match with Timo Werner sending the ball to Ruben Loftus-Cheek. He passes it to Malang Sarr who flicks it out to Ben Chilwell on the left wing. Chilwell attempts to send the ball up to Romelu Lukaku but the ball doesn’t reach him and Brentford clear their lines.
Here come the teams
Cesar Azpilicueta leads out the Blues. There’s a loud cheer from the Brentford supporters as their players head out onto the pitch. Brentford have been a surprising side so far this season. It they win here they’ll move within a point of Chelsea.
Brentford vs Chelsea
Yoane Wissa is averaging a goal every 47 minutes for Brentford this season, having scored five times in six league and cup appearances for the club.
Brentford vs Chelsea
Chelsea could become the first team in the top four English divisions to win seven consecutive London derbies away from home in the league.
The Blues have dropped points in three of their last four top-flight matches away to newly-promoted sides with two draws and one defeat.
Chelsea have scored a league-high seven first-half goals this season and Thomas Tuchel’s side have had 12 different goalscorers in the Premier League this season (excluding own goals), more than any other side.
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