CHELSEA played out a goalless draw at Brentford and failed to establish some safe distance from sixth place.
A victory would have seen the Blues getting four points ahead of Aston Villa, who are still pushing for a late top-five finish in the Premier League.
Chelsea played out a goalless draw at Brentford[/caption]
A win would have also seen the West Londoners climbing up to just two points away from third-placed Nottingham Forest.
However, a litany of mistakes at the back and a failure to take on their chances led to a 0-0 draw with the Bees at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford could have snatched the win if it wasn’t for their own inability to finish against Chelsea, who are spoiled for choice when choosing the player with the most diappointing performance.
However, that’s not the case when it comes to the standout performer…
But how exactly did Chelsea’s players fare against Brentford? Check out Kostas Lianos’ player ratings below and find out:
Robert Sanchez – 5
Some nervy reactions when the ball was on his feet in the first half as he gave it away twice to Brentford. Was especially lucky when Mikkel Damsgaard tripped when inside the area and wasted a massive opportunity that Robert Sanchez created by giving the ball away.
Much better in the second half where he made some key saves and denied a dangerous shot by Bryan Mbeumo.
Malo Gusto – 3
Was booked early for carelessly and needlesly pushing Kevin Schade in the first half that awarded Brentford a free-kick in a dangerous position. Improved defensively in the second half but didn’t bring anything extra when moving forward.
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Trevoh Chalobah – 4
Gave the ball away early in the match with a poor header that almost led to a Brentford goal. Some heavy touches throughout the first half but better in the second half.
Tosin Adarabioyo – 4
Came close to breaking the deadlock in the first few seconds of the match with his stretched leg but couldn’t quite meet Reece James’ free-kick. Had another chance to score from a great position during stoppage time but his header was too poor.
Was booked for an awful challenge on Yehor Yarmolyuk as he stepped on his ankle but thankfully inspired more safety at the back in the second half.
Reece James – 3
Struggled against Mbeumo down the right flank in the first half, he carelessly tried to clear in the first half but gave the ball away to the Brentford forward who almost broke the deadlock with a fine shot.
Met a pinpoint cross from Pedro Neto with a fine header but was denied by Mark Flekken. Generally didn’t hold his ground and made several errors, far from his best after his injury hell.
Moises Caicedo – 5
Lost Sepp van den Berg in the final 10 minutes that could have led to a goal by Brentford only for the defender to muck it up despite being completely unmarked in front of Sanchez.
Didn’t do enough to help break through the Bees’ defence.
Enzo Fernandez – 5
Was livelier in the second half with a stunning ball that released Nicolas Jackson and created danger in Brentford’s area.
Was booked for a rough challenge on Mbeumo towards the end when he and Chelsea were running out of ideas as he had two awful shots in the closing stages of the match.
Noni Madueke – 3
Had Chelsea’s first shot on target in the first half but didn’t worry Flekken. Barely made his presence known down the wing like we all know he can and was correctly hauled off.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 2
Very anonymous performance. Failed to follow up after Christopher Nkunku dispossessed Van den Berg down Chelsea’s attacking third, a deflection took place that would have allowed Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to create immense danger.
Made up with a fantastic through ball for Jadon Sancho that almost caused a Brentford own-goal, but that wasn’t nearly enough to guarantee more rare opportunities to start ahead of Cole Palmer.
Jadon Sancho – 3
Came close to forcing a Brentford own-goal in the first half when his lethal low cross saw Nathan Collins’s stretched leg almost sending the ball behind Flekken’s net. But didn’t really improve after that and his performances are still well behind from his Borussia Dortmund best.
Christopher Nkunku – 2
Had two chances in the first half but failed to make the most of them. Was especially poor when Malo Gusto set him up for a finish inside the Brentford area.
A rather anonymous performance other than that before his substitution at half-time that really raises questions about his Stamford Bridge future – didn’t take advantage of his rare opportunity to start ahead of Jackson.
SUBS
Nicolas Jackson – 5
Much livelier up front than Christopher Nkunku as he had a chance early in the second half after a stunning ball by Enzo Fernandez and just missed the target before almost causing a Van den Berg own-goal. But that was the most he could do during the second half.
Cole Palmer – 6
Among many Chelsea substitutions that sparked life into the visitors. Had a brilliant curling shot that just missed the target, but wasn’;t at his best – something that continues to expose Chelsea’s reliance on his performances.
Pedro Neto – 6
Had two fantastic shots on target shortly after his introduction from the bench. Very lively and vibrant at the beginning, but just like his other fellow substitutes, he quickly went quieter – just stands out as best of the worst.
Marc Cucurella – 5
Barely played 15 minutes and failed to bring anything significant when moving forward – pretty decent in defence.
