Summary Chelsea's unbeaten run came to an end after they suffering a 2-0 defeat against Brentford at Stamford Bridge. Cole Palmer impressed for Chelsea, displaying his creativity and playmaking abilities throughout the match. Despite the loss, Palmer's performance showed promise for the future and provides optimism for Chelsea moving forward.
Chelsea looked like they were making progress having secured some positive results throughout the previous few weeks, but they were shocked by Brentford this afternoon.
The Blues had secured seven points out of nine in the last three Premier League matches, but Thomas Frank’s men stood firm and grabbed a 2-0 victory, meaning the Bees have won all three trips to Stamford Bridge since being promoted to the top flight in 2021.
Chelsea fail to continue their unbeaten run
The first half saw Chelsea dominate possession while also taking eight more shots than the away side, and it looked as though it was only a matter of time before someone opened the scoring.
Brentford went ahead with just over 30 minutes remaining courtesy of an Ethan Pinnock header before Bryan Mbeumo doubled their advantage during the dying embers of the match.
Mauricio Pochettino gave starts to Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke, yet the duo failed to get a shot on target during the match, while they made only two key passes combined, displaying a lack of cutting edge that the Argentinian would have been hoping for.
The former Paris Saint-Germain boss also deployed Cole Palmer in his favoured position of attacking midfield, and he was certainly pulling the strings for the Blues this afternoon, despite the defeat.
Cole Palmer continues to impress for Chelsea
The youngster opened the scoring against Arsenal last weekend, and while dropping slightly deeper today, he was still able to exude his talents.
He ran the show during the first half, with Statman Dave stating he was a “tidy, tidy player” due to the fact he made 22 final third passes, played three key passes and created a big chance, which unfortunately didn’t result in a goal for the home side.
The £75k-per-week gem showed once again why Pochettino signed him from Manchester City during the summer transfer window, and he could be an integral part of the team this term.
His Sofascore rating of 8/10 was also the highest on the Chelsea side, and he was always looking to get involved, taking 99 touches during the match, while succeeding with five of his seven long ball attempts and making four key passes.
The defensive side to his game could do with some work, however, as he lost possession 20 times in total, yet nobody will fault him for taking chances and trying to make things happen. The youngster also won just 20% of his total duels, and it could take some time for him to develop into a physically opposing player.
The more he plays for Chelsea, the better he will become, and the 21-year-old has already made a fine start, registering four goal contributions across just eight games and the future looks extremely bright.
The Blues will need to start from square one again following their loss today, but with a talent such as Palmer controlling proceedings for large parts of the game, Pochettino will surely be buoyed for the future and what he could bring to the team over the coming weeks.