Chelsea took advantage of their rivals' slip-ups to move two points off the top of the Premier League but made hard work of a narrow 2-1 win over Brentford.
2024/2025 Premier League
2-1
Match Report
The Blues did not make the same mistake as Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City who had all been held at home earlier in the weekend, but made hard work of seeing off a Brentford side who had picked up only one away point all season.
They took a deserved lead into the break when Marc Cucurella nodded in his first Premier League goal for the Blues minutes before the interval, having dominated the opening half without creating much in the way of clear-cut chances.
Nicolas Jackson should have put the game to bed on the hour mark when he ballooned the influential Jadon Sancho's cross over from six yards out, and without that the Blues' narrow lead always remained precarious.
Brentford came so close to making them pay as momentum began to shift and Christian Norgaard pulled a superb finger-tip stop out of Robert Sanchez, before Fabio Carvalho's sliding effort bounced down off the bar, no more than a few inches from crossing the line.
Enzo Maresca's celebrations which greeted Jackson's thunderous second after a quick counter-attack summed up the relief around Stamford Bridge with 10 minutes left as Chelsea finally gave themselves a cushion to defend.
But even then, a hospital pass of a throw from Cucurella to Moises Caicedo saw a Brentford counter finished off stylishly by Bryan Mbeumo, leaving the Blues to see out a nervy seven minutes of added time before they could finally celebrate stealing a march on their title rivals with victory.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
3' A chance for Chelsea to score!
11' Flekken reacts Brilliantly to keep the Jackson's SHOT out of the net!!
14' Nice shot from Palmer
18' What’s that nonsense from Sanchez
21' Madueke disease is back to defend for opponents
27' Palmer puts Jackson through on GOAL but Pinnock is Red Alert to block the SHOT!!
32' Sancho's shot wide out
40' Flekken gives the ball away but Chelsea through Madueke can't Capitalize!!!
43' Cucurella opens the scoring for Chelsea!! Chelsea 1-0 Brentford
55' Cucurella is taken down in box!
60' Jackson misses a golden chance
65' Madueke fires another DANGEROUS shot
68' Massive CHANCE for Chelsea to make it two nil but Brentford somehow Escape!!
74' Brentford almost made it 1-1 but SANCHEZ makes an Outrageous Save!!!
75' Jackson's shot wide out
77' Highlight from Chelsea vs Brentford
80' Nicolas Jackson has doubled the lead! Chelsea 2-0 Brentford
83' Match Event for Chelsea vs Brentford
Line-ups
Chelsea XI: T.Adarabioyo, Marc Cucurella, Sancho, Robert Sánchez, Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Enzo Fernández, Moisés Caicedo, Levi Colwill, Malo Gusto, Nicolas Jackson
Subs: Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Filip Jørgensen, Sam Rak-Sakyi, Josh Acheampong, Tyrique George, Renato Veiga, Marc Guiu
Brentford XI: Christian Nørgaard, Mark Flekken, Yoane Wissa, Ethan Pinnock, Mads Roerslev, Mikkel Damsgaard, Van den Berg, Bryan Mbeumo, Keane Lewis-Potter, Nathan Collins, Yegor Yarmolyuk
Subs: Mee, Kristoffer Ajer, Janelt, Hákon Rafn Valdimarsson, Fabio Carvalho, Kevin Schade, Ryan Trevitt, Jayden Meghoma, Yunus Emre Konak