Chelsea’s Defeat At Home To Brentford Sends Them Back Into Crisis Mode
Brentford won at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League for the third straight season as second-half goals by Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbeumo earned a 2-0 victory over Chelsea on Saturday.
Pinnock headed in a cross from Bryan Mbeumo in the 58th minute for a goal that was against the general run of a play, before Mbeumo added the second in fifth minute of stoppage time, tapping into an empty net at the end of a fast break with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez having gone up for a corner.
The first half had been one-sided, with Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer setting up great chances for Noni Madueke, Marc Cucurella and Raheem Sterling. All of them were squandered, with Madueke’s shot hitting the crossbar.
Brentford was a constant threat on the counterattack and both goals came from that route.
Chelsea also lost to its London rival last season (2-0) and the season before (4-1), which was the first year Brentford played in the Premier League.
As frustrations boiled over late on, Jesus Perez – the assistant to Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino – was shown a red card in the technical area.
Chelsea has only won one of its six league games at home this season, and that was against promoted Luton, with Pochettino’s team struggling to break down opponents that set up defensively.
It was a second straight victory for Brentford after an eight-game winless run in all competitions.
