6 April 2025
Brentford 0 Chelsea 0
Brentford welcomed Chelsea to the Gtech Community Stadium for a London derby. It has been a strange season for Thomas Frank’s side. In periods they have looked brilliant and got some really big results, having also started the campaign with the best home record in the league. Overall, there league position is quite disappointing for this established top-flight outfit.
Different problem for Chelsea. They are in a race for the final two places to qualify for the Champions League which is massive for the club. Tood Boehly has spent so much money on transfers, he could have built a Death Star instead. He has players on such long contracts that they may well be known as the Chelsea Pensioners once again.
Both fourth and fifth spot, which carry those qualification places are strange this season. What we do know is one of two genres of team will secure them. Sides who are massive names in terms of English football but do not deserve to be in Europe’s elite competition based on their performances and levels this season, or a complete wildcard side.
Guardiola has endured his worst season in management and would probably agree they don’t deserve to be there. Chelsea on the other hand have a real sense of privilege that they deserve to be. They dominate the ball without taking their chances and are opened up with ease at the back. It could be a baptism of fire on their return to the competition, if they get there.
The Bees are having so much trouble at home currently social services have visited the stadium twice. Enzo Maresca’s side have not won on the road for eight games, also a big concern. Early on, James swung a good ball into the box. Tosin misjudged it as it went under his boot and Nkunku headed it well over at the back post.
Thomas Frank’s side piled forward and Wissa almost netted but his improvised shot just went into the side netting. Moments later he turned provider when he put it on a plate for Damsgaard. As Sanchez looked to close him down, he seemed to miss the ball completely. Big chance wasted from a player who has been in sparkling form this season.
Brentford were knocking on the door now. They were looking to ask questions of the Chelsea keeper. Mbuemo fired off a shot from the edge of the box which narrowly missed the near post. Had it been half a foot the other way, The Blues would be trailing in the derby. There was intent from both sides but the end product was lacking so far.
The battle between James and Mbuemo was the only decent watch. On this occasion the hosts forced a corner. Lewis-Potter met the resulting corner as he had a free header in the middle but Sanchez acrobatically beat the effort away. Nothing ever looks simple with him. Gone are the days of a reliable keeper in a Chelsea shirt since Petr Cech really.
Maresca’s side started to probe more after the interval. Firstly Neto fired an effort off from the edge of the box in the middle of the goal. Flekken did well to turn it over the bar but it was straight at him. A player who cost this club as much as the former Wolves player did, should have far more in his locker than a hit and hope shot like that.
James rose in the box later to get a head on a cross into the middle. Flekken had to cover some ground to claw it out of the far corner. He is not known for his headed goals but this was as close as we had come to a goal. Despite the ability to create so many chances every week, Chelsea just don’t seem to have what is necessary to penetrate their opponents.
At this level, a slender lead is more a danger than a help. Maresca’s side have been punished so often for not putting games to bed. You wonder what the answer is. Send any of these players elsewhere and they would no doubt do just that. It is almost like Roman Abramovic put a Russian gypsy curse on the penalty area as his parting gesture.
Brentford were just as complicit in this game. Mbuemo missed another chance, giving Sanchez the chance to save. Then van den Berg had a free header just yards out. Incredibly, he headed it down so severely, it bounced over the crossbar. It was like a football version of billiards, where the game is to not put the ball in.
Late on in the game Palmer had a rare chance. He turned onto his favoured left foot and tried to bend one into the roof of the net. It had the keeper beaten but missed the top of the crossbar by a matter of inches. A draw was a fair result, either side could have won it, but neither showed the ability in the final third to deserve it.
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