In a fierce London derby, nothing could separate Brentford and Chelsea
Brentford – Chelsea FC Played on 10/19/ 2022
The club that would govern the world was stopped in their tracks just as they were about to
leave west London by Graham Potter, who unleashed nearly all of the might of his Chelsea
attack, including the academy players and the established stars who have earned millions of
pounds.
Potter’s five-game winning streak in all competitions is gone, but he is still unbeaten as
Chelsea’s manager, and there were moments when it appeared as though it may have
happened for Brentford. As their hold on the game loosened, they generated opportunities
to win the game, and Thomas Frank’s team was the one that stood out as being capable in
such company.
There were times when Brentford felt in the ascendancy and then later when they had to,
the emergency tackles saved them a draw.
In a fierce London derby, nothing could separate Brentford and Chelsea
By the end they had faced just about every big-name Chelsea attacker on the books, save
the exiled Romelu Lukaku, as Potter sent on Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick
Aubemeyang to push for the win. One slip and Brentford would have lost everything in this
compelling local argument. In the closing stages there was variously a fine tackle at the last
from Ethan Pinnock on Sterling and then minutes later a great save by David Raya from the
teenage substitute Carney Chukwuemeka.
At the beginning of the game, the two managers were interviewed together for the Amazon
Prime coverage, forming a bond on the touchline. Later, they countered each other’s
movements throughout the game. Naturally, Potter’s team had more possession of the ball. Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo were clearly a threat despite the fact that neither team made more than five efforts on the other’s goal. They are tenth in the standings, and this year’s league leaders Arsenal are the only visiting team to triumph at their brand-new stadium.
There were times when this game’s frantic pace, which fizzed through a first half of excellent chances and a high quality of attacking play, exposed some well-known defenders on both sides. Thomas Frank will have thought that his team had produced enough to go in front, but they never quite found the winning touch when it mattered most.
But it kept happening again and again. When Jorginho unexpectedly found himself trying to race the Brentford striker, Bryan Mbeumo had already abandoned Jorginho in the station. A defending player found himself losing ground with each step in the first of several thrilling first-half mismatches.
Later in the game, Armando Broja accelerated through Ben Mee’s right shoulder, giving him the identical experience.
Toney’s header presented the first opportunity for Kepa Arrizabalaga, who made his first of many instinctive stops in a strong first half for the recently reinstated Chelsea goalkeeper. Chelsea occasionally had trouble contending with Ivan Toney, but he wasn’t the only power. Mbeumo posed a threat. On the left side of the back three, Kalidou Koulibaly repeatedly probed for the ball as Frank Onyeka attacked him but couldn’t get to it. This happened on minute 28. Brentford found success with their straightforward strategy.
A fascinating prospect is the 21-year-old Slough boy who plays football for Albania internationally. Big and direct, yes, but also with a thoughtful touch and, as Mee would discover, a burst of speed that can propel him past the unaware defender. Kai Havertz was unable to get a toe on the cross that Broja delivered because he never quite got the chance to shoot.
However, Havertz managed to stay in the game despite Potter’s three substitutes right after the hour mark. Sterling replaced Marc Cucurella at left wing back for Chelsea, and Christian Pulisic and Chukwuemeka, an 18-year-old, moved into two of the three center attacking positions.
Chukwuemeka, who is 18 years old, was a surprising selection but performed admirably. The weekend before, he played his first Premier League minutes for his new team against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The biggest opportunity, however, fell to Brentford and Mbeumo in the closing minutes, who narrowly missed Cesar Azpilicueta with a cross from Roerslev. He ought to have handled the header better. By the finish, they were retreating and hoping for the whistle, but Brentford was still worth a point.
