Key stats
- Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in nine of their 22 games, only Arsenal (11) have done this more often in the Premier League this season.
- Chelsea have scored in 20 of their 22 games, more often than any other team in the Premier League this season.
- Joao Pedro has scored seven goals in the Premier League this season (one in this game), more than any other Chelsea player.
Highlights
Analysis
Chelsea's Tosin Adarabioyo earned a match-high Flashscore player rating of 8.4.
Brentford enjoyed some decent spells and will feel aggrieved to have come away from Stamford Bridge with nothing.
Match report
Without a win in five PL games (D3, L2), Chelsea were desperate for an upturn in form, yet they were fortunate not to fall behind after 21 minutes.
Kevin Schade’s cutback sent Trevoh Chalobah sliding past him, but with the goal at his mercy, the German elected to pass, seeing his square ball cut out by Tosin Adarabioyo, who had Robert Sánchez to thank for denying a would-be OG.
The Blues didn’t take long to capitalise on that reprieve, breaking the deadlock five minutes later when Enzo Fernández closed down Michael Kayode’s clearance, allowing João Pedro – who was originally flagged offside – to lash home from just inside the box.
Despite falling behind, Brentford continued to pose a threat, and they came close to levelling through Mathias Jensen, who swept a volley wide of the mark after a neat ball over the top from Mikkel Damsgaard.
Nonetheless, Chelsea arguably should have gone into the break with a two-goal lead, with Pedro Neto beating his man down the right and supplying an excellent ball across goal, only for Alejandro Garnacho to open up his body and guide his effort from point-blank range wide.
Needing a response, Keith Andrews’ side looked set to equalise soon after the restart, yet Sánchez’s outstretched foot came to Chelsea’s rescue, turning Schade’s low strike around the post when through on goal.
A period of relative calm followed, with neither side producing any chances of note as the Blues remained in control of the contest.
That was until Igor Thiago’s thundering header sailed wide of the post, but any encouragement heading into the final stages of the match was soon dashed.
A loose touch from Caoimhin Kelleher gave substitute Liam Delap the opportunity to steal possession in the box, prompting the goalkeeper to bring him down, which allowed Cole Palmer to calmly dispatch the resultant penalty.
That goal killed the game as a contest, ensuring a second win in nine PL H2Hs for Chelsea (D4, L3), and keeping the Blues in the mix for a UEFA Champions League spot after a string of poor results had seen them drop down the table.
As for Brentford, a 12th loss from 16 away PL London derbies continues a poor record, but Bees fans won’t be overly concerned given their current position in seventh, just one point behind today’s victors.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Robert Sánchez (Chelsea)
Post-match comments
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior to Sky Sports: "It's about winning. I've said that since I've come in.
"We didn't play the free-flowing football that I want us to in the end, but we got the job done, and that's a really, really pleasing result for the players.
"There were a couple of players playing today who were complaining about their chest,s and they've put in a magnificent effort. I felt that's why we weren't good with the ball."
Brentford boss Keith Andrews to BBC Sport: "We just weren't clinical enough with the chances we had. We didn't give up anything at the other end. I'm proud of the performance levels. The growth of the team is there for everyone to see."