Chelsea Losses to Lower Division Brentford in English Premier League Double Header

Chelsea suffered a disappointing 0-2 defeat against Brentford in Match Day 33 of the English Premier League. C. Azpilicueta put Brentford ahead in the 37th minute with a well taken goal and B. Mbeumo sealed the victory for the visitors with another strike 12 minutes from full time. The loss leaves Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League hanging by a thread as they remain outside of the top four positions in the table.

Line-ups:

Chelsea Kepa Arrizabalaga (rating 6.2) Wesley Fofana (rating 7) Thiago Silva (rating 7.3) Trevoh Chalobah (rating 7.3) César Azpilicueta (rating 6.2) Enzo Fernández (rating 7.2) Mateo Kovačić (rating 6.3) Ben Chilwell (rating 7.2) NGolo Kanté (rating 7.6) Conor Gallagher (rating 6.9) Raheem Sterling (rating 7.2)

Brentford David Raya (rating 7.3) Mads Roerslev Rasmussen (rating 6.5) Zanka (rating 6.9) Ethan Pinnock (rating 7) Ben Mee (rating 7.3) Rico Henry (rating 6.3) Mathias Jensen (rating 6.5) Frank Onyeka (rating 6.5) Vitaly Janelt (rating 6.9) Ivan Toney (rating 6.5) Yoane Wissa (rating 6.3)

Substitutions:

Chelsea M. Mudryk (C. Gallagher, 46) P. Aubameyang (C. Azpilicueta, 46) N. Madueke (R. Sterling, 79) Joao Felix (E. Fernandez, 79)

Brentford B. Mbeumo (Y. Wissa, 62) M. Damsgaard (F. Onyeka, 62) S. Baptiste (M. Jensen, 62) K. Schade (I. Toney, 83) A. Hickey (R. Henry, 90)

Ball possession:

The match between Chelsea and Brentford was dominated by the former, with 73% of ball possession. This strong performance was reflected in the number of shots taken, with Chelsea making 15 shots on target and 4 on goal. The most active player in terms of the number of shots was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. On the other hand, Brentford made 7 shots on target and 1 on goal, with Bryan Mbeumo being their best performer when it came to hitting goals.

Passes:

Enzo Fernández of Chelsea had a pass accuracy of 90%, completing 88 passes. Zanka from Brentford had a slightly lower pass accuracy of 69%, but completed 33 passes. NGolo Kanté, also from Chelsea, made 3 key passes during the match while Mathias Jensen from Brentford made 2. It is clear that Enzo Fernández had the higher passing success rate, making him an important asset for Chelsea in this game.

Defense:

Chelsea and Brentford have both had a successful season when it comes to interceptions. Both teams have made 9 interceptions, with Trevoh Chalobah leading the way for Chelsea with 4 interceptions and Vitaly Janelt doing the same for Brentford with 4 intercepted passes. While Chelsea only managed 1 interception from Ben Chilwell, Brentford had 3, with Zanka collecting 1 of those interceptions. Both teams have demonstrated their defensive capabilities by making so many successful interceptions this season.

Face-to-face:

A recent analysis of face-to-face fights for the ball revealed that Wesley Fofana from Chelsea was the leader in these duels, with 12 recorded instances. Ben Mee of Brentford came in a close second, with 6 recorded instances. Both teams have been known for their aggressive style of play on the field and this data further confirms it. It will be interesting to see if either player can maintain their lead as they compete against each other in upcoming matches.

Fouls:

Yellow cards:

• W. Fofana (Chelsea) at 72 minute
• M. Jensen (Brentford) at 46 minute
• R. Henry (Brentford) at 73 minute

The last five games (including this match):

• Chelsea – LLLDL
• Brentford – WDLLL

Top 5 English Premier League scorers:

1. Erling Haaland (32, Manchester City)
2. Harry Kane (24, Tottenham)
3. Ivan Toney (19, Brentford)
4. Mohamed Salah (16, Liverpool)
5. Marcus Rashford (15, Manchester United)

Next games:

• Chelsea will play with Arsenal. May 02 at 19:00 (UTC), on Emirates Stadium.
• Brentford will play with Nottingham Forest. April 29 at 14:00 (UTC), on Gtech Community Stadium.