Frank Lampard’s nightmare as Chelsea interim manager continues as Brentford grabbed all three points at Stamford Bridge.
Thomas Frank returned the Bees to winning ways against the Blues at Stamford Bridge in another shock defeat to Chelsea.
Starting Lineup
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga; Fofana, Silva, Chalobah; Azpilicueta, Fernandez, Kante, Kovacic, Chilwell; Gallagher; Sterling.
Brentford: Raya; Roerslev, Zanka, Pinnock, Mee, Henry; Jensen, Onyeka, Janelt; Toney, Wissa.
It was a cagey start as both sides lock horns at Stamford Bridge looking for their first win since March.
The Blues’ last Premier League win came on March 11 when they defeated Leicester City 3-1 at the King’s Power Stadium.
Brenford have been winless since their last Premier League victory against Southampton at St Mary’s.
Both sides went into the game placed 10th and 11th on the table and needed a victory to overturn a dismal campaign.
While the Bees have managed some points on the road, Chelsea have suffered defeats in all their last games under Frank Lampard and a defeat against the Bees at Stamford Bridge was another big blow to the team.
It was an engaging first half between both sides as the referee set the match rolling. Brenford seemed to have an edge over the Blues but were equally missing out on second balls and duels.
Both sides struggled to outplay the other as the game progressed with no side able to have a good spell of possession.
Chelsea stumbled with forlorn passes, lost most duels and made no clearcut attempt on the Brentford goal.
Frank Lampard’s squad looked more like a bunch of assembled strangers with no clues to break down Brenford’s sturdy midfield and defense.
Gallagher and Sterling lazied up front as the Bees succeeded in cutting supplies to the attackers.
Chelsea’s midfield set up was equally shoddy and lacked a creative touch to weather the challenge from the visitors.
Despite the Blues’ glaring blunders, Thomas Frank’s boys failed to effectively dominate proceedings in the game but showed more prowess and cutting edge attacking instinct that intimidated Chelsea’s defense when they advanced on counter attacks.
Late in the first half, Brentford grabbed their opening goal after a slew of attempts. Cesar Azpilicueta got the ball into his own net after a cornerkick, giving Brentford the lead in the 37th minute.
The Bees went into the first half break with a deserved 1-0 lead after Azpilicueta’s own goal.
Brenford continued to dominate play with good counter attacks forcing the Chelsea defense to task as the second half kicked off.
However, they were beginning to lose momentum as the game progressed.
Chelsea gradually emerged into the game, dominating play as they tried to find an equaliser.
The Blues failed to create clear cut chances and were vulnerable when Brentford surge forward with speedy counter attacks.
In the 78th minute, Mbeumo doubled Brentford’s lead to compound Chelsea woes with just 12 minutes remaining in the game.
Chelsea made a late impressive effort to find a consolation goal but failed to find the back of the net as Brentford held on to grab a deserved 2-0 away win after the final whistle.
The loss saw Chelsea settle for a fifth consecutive defeat under Frank Lampard as interim manager while Thomas Frank returned the Bees to winning ways with a big away victory.
