Full Time
Chelsea suffered their fifth consecutive defeat since the return of Frank Lampard as Brentford won at Stamford Bridge to strengthen their position in the Premier League’s top 10. The Blues were unable to find an equaliser and were punished by Brentford’s clinical finishing when Bryan Mbeumo scored the visitors’ second goal with their first shot on target.
Chelsea had selected a conservative side in an attempt to end their dismal run of losses, but they offered almost no attacking threat in the first half, with Thiago Silva’s tame header the best of their few opportunities. The introduction of Mykhailo Mudryk and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the start of the second half saw a brief improvement in Chelsea’s attacking threat, but they were unable to capitalise on that.
The defeat officially ended Chelsea’s chances of a top-four finish as they sit 20 points off fourth with six games remaining. In contrast to Chelsea, this has been a season to enjoy for Brentford fans – they’ve never been in danger of relegation and have even enjoyed a flirtation with the European places. Mikkel Damsgaard was named player of the match for Brentford with an average rating of 8.17.