Chelsea rescue a point in a topsy turvy game against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium .

Lineup

The blues lined up in what looked like a back five. Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, and Ben Chilwell came into the starting lineup. Chilwell was further forward in possession and Colwill went on the left. Malo Gusto was high up on the right side. Noni Madueke and Mykhalio Mudryk dropped to the bench. Mudryk may have felt hard done by after his performance and goal against Leeds in midweek not to start this game. Maurico Pochettino went with the back five solution to match up against Brentford who usually play the 3-5-2 formation.

First Half

Chelsea had possession early on, but it was Brentford who actually started the game slightly better in terms of going forward with the ball and looking dangerous.

The first big chance came though to Nicolas Jackson, who could only see his tame effort blocked on the line after rounding Flekken in the Brentford goal.

Jackson sees his shot cleared after rounding the keeper

Chelsea opened the scoring as a great cross from Gusto was met by an equally good header from Jackson who shushed the crowd and maybe some of the haters.

Brentford started well, and maybe were better going forward, but Chelsea took the lead.

Chelsea had the momentum after this, but the score remained only 1-0 at half time.

Second Half

Brentford were much better in the second half, as they pressed higher up the pitch with more energy. They also used their effectiveness in wide areas with crosses and long throws into the box.

Chelsea were unable to effectively defend these crosses into the box, and this led to Brentford scoring their two goals to take the lead. First, Ivan Toney crossed from the right (Chelsea’s left), and Reguilon’s scuffed shot led to Roerslev’s equaliser. Disasi could have reacted quicker and cleared the ball.

Disasi was slow to react to the loose ball

The second goal by Yoann Wissa was a brilliant acrobatic strike, but Malo Gusto could have maybe close down quicker and prevented the cross coming in. There were eight Chelsea players in the box, but the marking was ineffective, and Wissa found space to produce a brilliant finish.

Gusto was slow to close the cross down

Despite Chelsea having a number of players back in the box, Wissa is allowed the shot

Pochettino sent on Mudryk for Enzo and then Sterling for Colwill in a desperate attempt to rescue the game and provide more attacking threat. This did improve the performance of the team. The equaliser came in the 83rd minute as Cole Palmer received the ball from a short corner and crossed to Disasi, who headed in. The game ended 2-2, despite a bit of a frantic finish.

Disasi celebrates after scoring the equaliser

Some Analysis and stats

The lack of central midfield options were clear to see, especially in the second half for Chelsea. Enzo showed signs of tiredness after playing virtually every game over the last month, including 120 minutes against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup Final. Cesare Casedai was recalled from Leicester City, but he has not played very much since his return. Andrey Santos was also sent back on loan to Strasbourg after his difficult loan spell at Nottingham Forest. Romeo Lavia and Lesley Ugochukwu are also both still injured.

Pochettino refused to make any changes until Chelsea conceded the second goal. There were clear signs early on in the second half Brentford had upped the tempo and looked increasingly threatening. He probably thought Chelsea could ride this out, and with the lack of midfield options, choose to stick rather than twist.

Moises Caicedo has improved since his signing and was one of the top performers in this game, despite still getting negative coverage in the media due to his price tag. He is often alone in that defensive midfield role and covered ground well. He won the most duels (9) of all players on the pitch and also won 2 tackles.

Caicedo v Brentford

70/78 passes completed (90% accuracy)

5 passes into final third

2/3 accurate long balls

2 tackles won

1 block

3 clearances

8 ball recoveries

9 duels won

Gusto was impressive yet again, but may be disappointed he did not do more to prevent the cross, which resulted in the second goal for Brentford.

What again was a concern was the teams drop off in the second half. This has been a theme during the season as these tables show. Chelsea are closer to the top of the table when taking into account points for the first half compared to second half. They are 17th when looking at the second half.

Found on twitter /x.

Overall, this was a disappointing result and leaves Chelsea 11th in the table. There were clear signs of frustrations in the crowd as fans voiced their anger at both Todd Boehly and Mauricio Pochettinho after Brentford took the lead.

Pochettinho was also frustrated after the game with Chelsea's defending in the second half and for allowing Brentford back into the game. He also commented on the tiredness of his midfield and reason for playing an extra centre back.

'We showed full control in the first half. We created many chances and I think we played very well.

Of course, we didn’t start well in the second half and we allowed them to take the lead. We conceded some crosses and it was tough because the game was really open, too many transitions and they made it 1-1.

We must defend better, of course, at a very difficult place to come. But we’ve had a tough three games in six days, and I think the effort was massive. It was hard to keep the energy in the second half. I think that was the key to the game.

They played more direct. We were not consistent at this moment. We conceded and that changed the game, their belief increased. In the end, of course, we wanted all three points, but we are disappointed a little bit in the way we conceded and because the team made the effort to get all three.

We needed to provide the midfield the possibility not to cover too much distance. I think Enzo, Caicedo and Gallagher had to start but were really, really tired.

I wanted to provide the team with a different way to play for different circumstances. I think we needed more consistency and to be more solid. After playing the final on Sunday and the game on Wednesday, they were two tough games and we needed to be more solid, that is why we picked that system.

A player like (Romeo) Lavia is supposed to challenge Moises (Caicedo), but they are injured and we don’t have the possibility to refresh in a key area. That is why we needed to help them to try with another centre-back.’

The lack of first team options has hampered Pochettino in midfield. he could maybe have used some youngsters as Liverpool have done recently but maybe felt he didn't want to take that risk.

Chelsea have a break of eight days before their next game at home to Newcastle on Monday week.

Great overall team performance as Chelsea come close to victory against Manchester City at The Etihad

Chelsea came very close to a valuable win against Manchester City, after putting in a very good display against the current Premier League Champions and last season's Treble winners. A first-half goal from former City player Raheem Sterling was cancelled out late on by Rodri. The blues may feel that they could and should have won the game, especially with some of the clear chances created, but City rallied in the second half and in particular the last 30 minutes. This made it quite difficult to maintain the lead. Rodri eventually blasted in an equaliser, but Chelsea held on for a deserved point.

There were two changes to the team that beat Crystal Palace in midweek, with Levi Colwill coming in for the injured Thiago Silva and Raheem Sterling in for Noni Madueke. Chelsea seemed to line up in the usual 4-2-3-1 shape but Nicolas Jackson was upfront, with Cole Palmer and Sterling on either side.

Manchester City had 31 shots in the game overall, but only 5 of them were on target. Some were good chances that were missed especially a couple of free headers by Erling Haaland. They had a high level of possession in the game (70%). Chelsea were dangerous on the counter attack and created a number of clear chances, especially in the first half.

Nicolas Jackson had the first of these, as he was put through on goal after a cross from Gusto but the ball was slightly behind him, and he took a first touch to control it, which allowed Ederson in the City goal to smother the shot. The balls in behind and over the top of the Manchester City defence were causing them problems.

Eventually, just before half-time another move that started down the right hand side was finished off well by Raheem Sterling. Jackson played a one two with Palmer before crossing the ball to Raheem Sterling. Kyle Walker had been dragged over to the right side but recovered to cover Sterling. Despite this, Sterling cut inside Walker and produced a great finish to make it 1-0 before half-time.

In the second-half Chelsea brought on Christopher Nkunku for Sterling after 64 minutes. Nicolas Jackson went to the left side, and Nkunku went upfront. Jackson was probably able to help Chilwell out defensively a bit more than Nkunku could so this was probably why Nkunku went up top.

Trevoh Chalobah came on for Cole Palmer after this as Chelsea went to 5 at the back as they tried to hang on. They also brought on Cesare Casedai for Jackson as they put more bodies in midfield.

Eventually City found an equaliser through Rodri, who found space just inside the box and struck the ball past Djordje Petrovic in goal. Casedai could possibly have closed Rodri down quicker, but it was a good strike with a slight deflection. The game ended 1-1.

Chelsea tactically were able to exploit the left side of Manchester City (their right). Nathan Ake was sometimes left isolated for them as Gusto went wide and Palmer came into the right half space. Palmer was not always covered, and this was a source of joy when counter attacking. This led to the Jackson chance which could and probably should have been scored.

Palmer in the right half space with Gusto out wide

Gusto crossed to Jackson but he was not able to take the chance

Palmer operating again in the right half space on the counter in the second half with Gusto out wide

The move that eventually led to the Sterling goal

Chelsea also did a bit of a man-marking job on Rodri with Gallagher covering him for alot of the game. Eventually he found a way through, but this was mainly due to the fact that Chelsea sat so deep in the end and the team ran out of legs trying to protect the lead.

Axel Disasi was given the man of the match award at the end of the game as he produced a colossal display at the heart of the defence. He was attracted to the ball like a magnet, as he produced a number of blocks and clearances as well as accurate passes. He and Colwill formed a good partnership.

Axel Disasi v Manchester City :

25/29 passes completed (86% accuracy)

2 passes into final third

2 accurate long balls

4/4 aerial duels won

 3 blocks

 16 clearances (11 headed clearances)

5 ball recoveries

Disasi with his player of the match award

Malo Gusto was once again excellent and kept Jeremy Doku quiet throughout the game. He was also able to get forward from the right side. His passing was also accurate (25/29 at 86%), and he also won 9 duels.

Overall it was a very good performance from the team. Some may say that Chelsea could have gone for the win and not gone so defensive but in my opinion the team had lost energy and were showing signs of fatigue. Manchester City dominated possession and Chelsea were chasing the ball for long periods. The substitutions were to help in that regard and also maybe with an eye on the Cup Final next week. Palmer had picked up a yellow card for example.

The problem with the team is the lack of consistency at the moment. The last three results are encouraging and they will look to build on them. They seem to find it especially difficult to break teams down that sit deep. This is an issue that still has to be solved by the manager. However today the performance can be praised quite highly.

Maurico Pochettino was proud of the performance despite the late equaliser.

"Today was a great performance. We scored first and the first half was a very good game. I’m so pleased and I told the players this and congratulate them because the effort was massive.

The spirit we showed today is the way we want to compete. With the talent we have in all the areas, we will reach the level we expect. I’m so pleased because to play a team that is the best in the world is never easy, and today the character and personality the team showed made me very happy."

He also praised goal scorer Raheem Sterling.

"His experience is important and an offensive player always needs to score to feel confident. He was working really hard for the team, defending well, he was always in the position to help the team and making the effort to be in a position to help the defensive line and Chilwell on the side."

He also praised the players and team in general.

"They showed character today. All the coaching staff work to prepare the plan for the game, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t work, but always football is a game that belongs to the players and today the execution and of course the performance was down to them."

Chelsea's next game is the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool next Sunday. Pochettinho also looked forward to this game and said that the team needs to show belief.

“We need to feel that it's possible to beat Liverpool in the Cup final.

We are going to play the second best team in the world. I think belief is the most important thing."

Chelsea secure three points in an important but less than convincing win

Chelsea produced a 3-1 win in the end at Selhurst Park, but it was far from an assured performance, especially in the first half. In the end two goals from Conor Gallagher, including an injury time winner and a well taken Enzo Fernandez goal right at the end secured the three points.

Chelsea started with the same team as against Aston Villa in the FA Cup but Thiago Silva came in for the injured Benoit Badiashile. The formation shows Nicolas Jackson on the left, but he did operate more centrally at times as Chilwell tried to attack from the left wing.

Crystal Palace were without some of their key players, Michael Olise, Ebereche Eze and Marc Guehi, so Chelsea were expected to win comfortably despite the difficulty of playing in the slightly hostile atmosphere. Palace lined up in their usual 4-3-3 formation.

The first half performance from Chelsea was poor. Despite dominating possession (80%), they failed to have any shots on target (1 off target). The team broke the Premier League record for the number of passes made without having a shot on target (420) via Opta.

The difficulties in build-up play and passing are shown below by the distances and spaces between the players, making ball progression more difficult. They also moved the ball very slowly in the first half, taking time to make passes. Palace sat in a low block and counterattacked.

Gaps and spaces between players led to slow build up play and passing.

Crystal Palace took the lead in the game in the 30th minute through Jefferson Lerma, who produced a great strike from just outside the box. Noni Madueke tried to dribble the ball out of defence and attempted a short pass to Caicedo, who was dispossessed. There were appeals for a foul, but these were not heard. The defence was slow to close down the midfielder’s shot, and the ball went past Djordje Petrovic.

There was some interesting analysis on the strike by Petr Cech, who was a pundit on Sky for the game. He said even before the game that he tended to not stay back and so deep close to the goal as a keeper like Petrovic. Even though this gives a keeper more time to react it opens the goal up more when a ball is struck. He said instead he would move closer to the ball to close the angle and give the player taking the shot less of the goal to aim at. Petrovic had a good game in general, but it was something insightful from the former Chelsea goalkeeper.

Cech shows the difference in positioning when attempting to save a shot and the consequences.

The second half was much better from the blues as Christopher Nkunku came on for Madueke. This meant that Chelsea had two forward players, as he joined Nicolas Jackson upfront. Mauricio Pochettino noted after the game that he also put Palmer and Gallagher as narrow attacking midfielders (number 10s) to give Chelsea an extra threat in forward positions. This also allowed extra space for Malo Gusto on the right especially and Ben Chilwell on the left wings to get forward. Gusto was one of the few consistent high performers throughout the game for Chelsea. Palmer was also able to come inside to the right half space when attacking to be the creative spark.

It was Gusto who provided the cross to Gallagher who scored the equaliser. Gallagher then scored the crucial winner in the 91st minute, and Enzo Fernandez scored the third with a composed finish to seal the win. Both goals were assisted by Cole Palmer. Palmer had been relatively quiet prior to this but showed his class when it mattered, unlocking the Palace defence with two well weighted passes.

The man of the match was Conor Gallagher, as he provided the all-important goals, but Malo Gusto was certainly another good performer for the team.

Conor Gallagher’s game by numbers vs. Crystal Palace:

86% pass accuracy

72 touches

38/44 passes completed

4 ground duels won

3 key passes

2 goals

Gallagher covered a lot of ground in the game as his heat map shows and ran a total of around 13km

It was disappointing to see the first half performance from the team, especially after the encouraging 3-1 win and performance against Aston Villa in the FA Cup. The inconsistency seems to be something that has almost come to be expected this season, maybe due to their inexperience and age. The average age of the squad overall is low, barring a few players like Thiago Silva and Raheem Sterling. The team that played against Aston Villa had an average age of 23. It may be important to add some experience to the squad, as Pochettino has mentioned before.

Mauricio Pochettino was frustrated with the first-half performance but pleased with the fightback and Conor Gallagher in particular.

“After the first 45 minutes, I was very disappointed with the performance, but that is the challenge every single game. We played a fantastic game against Aston Villa and then after that first 45 minutes, you feel really disappointed.

In the second half, we started really well, but I think it was a tough game. In the end, I’m really pleased because in this type of game, even if we didn't play 45 minutes in the way we wanted, it’s useful to build our confidence, analyse, and prepare to be consistent.

We are a team where we perform sometimes better when we have space and the possibility to run. We use the transition very well, but when the opponent plays like they played today with a low block, we need to show more patience and move the ball quickly. We were so slow in the way we decided to move the ball.

On Gallagher- “Conor is a player with a great commitment to the team and he tries to compensate in an offensive and defensive position, and that is priceless. I’m so happy for him and the team because it’s an important three points. Conor was always the player that arrived before the second line with the possibility to score. Conor is a player who loves to run and use the freedom to play when we have the ball. He is very consistent in dropping back and helping the team in a defensive situation as well. I think he is a player who has been doing a fantastic job since the beginning of the season.”

It can be seen from his comments how much he values Gallagher, despite rumours of a move away from his boyhood club.

Chelsea next head to the Etihad to face Manchester City before facing Liverpool in the Carabao Cup Final in two tough games. A win in the Cup would secure a European place (Europa Conference League) for the team.