Liam Rosenior became only the second Chelsea boss among the club’s last eight appointments to win his opening Premier League match, as his side secured a 2-0 success over Brentford at Stamford Bridge.
Match Report
Winless in five league outings (D3, L2), Chelsea were eager to rediscover form and were perhaps fortunate not to concede inside the opening 21 minutes.
Kevin Schade’s cutback wrong-footed Trevoh Chalobah, leaving the goal exposed, but the German opted to square the ball rather than shoot. His pass was intercepted by Tosin Adarabioyo, with Robert Sanchez playing his part in preventing a potential own goal.
Chelsea quickly made the most of that let-off, opening the scoring five minutes later. Enzo Fernandez pressed Michael Kayode into a loose clearance, allowing Joao Pedro – initially flagged offside – to smash home from the edge of the area.
Brentford remained dangerous despite falling behind and went close to equalising when Mathias Jensen volleyed narrowly wide after a clever lofted pass from Mikkel Damsgaard.
However, the hosts could easily have doubled their advantage before half-time. Pedro Neto burst past his marker on the right and delivered a superb cross, but Alejandro Garnacho failed to convert from close range, steering his effort wide.
After the interval, Keith Andrews’ men pushed for a response and nearly found one, only for Sanchez’s trailing foot to divert Schade’s low effort behind when the forward was clean through on goal.
The game then settled into a quieter spell, with Chelsea largely controlling proceedings and chances at a premium.
That calm was briefly broken when Igor Thiago’s powerful header drifted wide, but any hope of a late comeback was soon extinguished. A heavy touch from Caoimhin Kelleher allowed substitute Liam Delap to pounce inside the area, forcing the goalkeeper into a foul. Cole Palmer stepped up and coolly converted the penalty.
That strike effectively sealed the result, earning Chelsea just their second win in nine Premier League clashes with Brentford (D4, L3) and keeping them in contention for a UEFA Champions League place after a difficult run of form.
Brentford, meanwhile, suffered a 12th defeat in 16 away London derbies, though their supporters will take comfort from a seventh-place standing, just one point adrift of Chelsea.