LONDON: Chelsea beat London neighbors Brentford 2-0 on Saturday in the first Premier League match under coach Liam Rosenior thanks to a Joao Pedro strike and a Cole Palmer penalty, but they were let off the hook as the visitors wasted a string of chances.
After a run of nine league games with only one win – most of which was under former coach Enzo Maresca who left the club on January 1 – Chelsea managed only two attempts on target all game ⁠with Brentford on top for much of each half.
It was Chelsea who found the net, however, when Pedro turned and fired a bullet shot into the top corner of Caoimhin Kelleher’s net in the 26th minute.
The Brazilian was initially ruled offside but the goal was given after a VAR check.
Palmer doubled Chelsea’s lead from the penalty spot in the 76th minute after Kelleher failed ⁠to control the ball and, in his desperation to win it back, tripped substitute Liam Delap. The win pushed Chelsea up to sixth in the table, leapfrogging Brentford who had been unbeaten in six league games.
For the visitors, Kevin Schade blew a great chance to open the scoring in the first half but attempted a pass instead and Mathias Jensen hit a post when in space at the far post.
Five minutes into the second half, Schade had an opportunity to make amends for his profligacy when he was put through on goal but his shot was diverted wide ⁠by the outstretched foot of the advancing Robert Sanchez.
“We just weren’t clinical enough with the chances we had,” Brentford coach Keith Andrews told the BBC. “We didn’t give up anything at the other end. I’m proud of the performance levels. The growth of the team is there for everyone to see.”
There were cheers of relief rather than celebration at the final whistle from the home fans, some of whom staged a protest outside Stamford Bridge before the game against Chelsea’s US private equity-led owners.
Their strategy of focusing on young players — with more than 1 billion pounds ($1.34 billion) spent since their takeover of the club in 2022 — has yet to turn into consistency on the pitch, frustrating many supporters.