LONDON: Brentford’s Fabio Carvalho struck in injury time to salvage a dramatic 2-2 Premier League draw with Chelsea in their west London derby on Saturday and stop Chelsea moving provisionally to top spot in the table.
Chelsea looked poised for victory after Cole Palmer, returning from a groin injury, scored an equalizer in the 61st minute and then Moises Caicedo struck in the 85th.
But Carvalho poked home the equalizer in the 93rd to the delight of the crowd at Gtech Stadium, scoring from six meters out after Kevin Schade’s long throw-in.
“Unbelievable. Everyone likes a last-minute goal. I’m just grateful I got it today,” Carvalho said. “Obviously it wasn’t a win but it felt like a win.”
Schade had broken the deadlock with the game’s first goal in the 35th minute when Jordan Henderson launched a stunning 40-meter lob just ahead of a sprinting Schade. The German cut inside Tosin Adarabioyo before shooting, with the ball deflecting off the inside of Adarabioyo’s leg and into the far corner.
Palmer had been questionable for Enzo Maresca’s team after missing two league games and England’s World Cup qualifiers due to injury, but he scored less than five minutes after coming on when Joao Pedro headed Enzo Fernandez’s cross into his path, and the 23-year-old swept home with a half-volley.
Palmer had another brilliant chance when he struck Pedro Neto’s cross from 12 meters out but he was denied by goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
“Everyone knows (Palmer) is so important for the team. He came on and changed the game for us,” Caicedo told Sky Sports.
Caicedo celebrated what he thought was the winner when he unleashed a rocket into the top corner from an Alejandro Garnacho cross, in Garnacho’s first game since Chelsea signed him from Manchester United.
But Brentford’s use of the long throw-in paid off with Carvalho’s late goal.
“(The long throw-in) has been here for numerous years, it’s not new to us,” Brentford boss Keith Andrews told the BBC. “That was probably the last eight to 10 games of last season, big Champions League games it was quite prominent and I felt it would probably trickle down the game.
“I felt there’s a little bit of snobbery in the game around scenarios like that, but if the big boys do it then it seems to be accepted.”
Maresca lamented the two points lost after his team had six shots on target — five of them in the second half — to Brentford’s four.
“It’s a shame (to concede late) but it happens,” Maresca told the BBC. “Probably we could manage that moment of the game better but in the end we concede and lose two points.
“We try to win every game but know we won’t win every game. It’s a shame because we conceded so late.”
Late Carvalho goal earns Brentford draw with Chelsea
https://arab.news/g8dfs
Late Carvalho goal earns Brentford draw with Chelsea
- “Unbelievable. Everyone likes a last-minute goal. I’m just grateful I got it today,” Carvalho says
Dejected Inter return to Scudetto charge as Juve lick their wounds
- Inter are 10 points clear at the top of Serie A
- Juventus’ hopes of reaching next season’s Champions League could be hit hard in Rome on Sunday night
MILAN: Inter Milan return to their bid to reclaim the Serie A title with Saturday’s visit of Genoa after a humiliating exit from the Champions League at the hands of Bodo/Glimt.
A 5-2 aggregate defeat, with losses in both legs, to the Norwegian minnows has left questions not only about Cristian Chivu’s debut season in the Inter dugout but also about Italy’s place in the contemporary football landscape.
Inter are 10 points clear at the top of Serie A, but on Tuesday night the division’s best team were undone by prosaic attacking and an inexplicable individual error from Manuel Akanji which effectively ended the tie.
The aftermath has been despondent and blunt, with the Gazzetta Dello Sport’s Wednesday front page simply saying “no excuses” after a historically bad result for one of the world’s most important footballing nations.
Chivu’s backhanded compliments to Bodo/Glimt also rang hollow, as he said that their only playing four matches in the last three months, all in the Champions League, was a factor in Inter’s defeat.
“They had a lot more energy than us, but that’s the Champions League for you. Let’s move on,” said Chivu.
While Inter flopped on the European stage, they have dominated domestically this term with just two points dropped in their last 14 league matches.
And will be heavy favorites to at least keep their distance from Milan with their derby coming up next weekend.
Juventus’ hopes of reaching next season’s Champions League could be hit hard in Rome on Sunday night following their own painful elimination on Wednesday night.
Luciano Spalletti’s players came close to a stunning comeback against Galatasaray but left themselves with too much to do after a 5-2 thumping in the first leg, and a trip to Roma is another difficult test.
Juve trail fourth-placed Roma and champions Napoli — in third ahead of their match at Verona — by four points and are on a run of four defeats in their last six matches in all competitions.
“We still have a lot to play for in the coming months, but you can see that the team is there,” said Juve icon Giorgio Chiellini, now a club official.
“We’ve had some slips and obstacles but we’re growing.”
Lurking a point behind Juve are Como and Atalanta, with the latter at Sassuolo still basking in the glow of a stunning comeback against Borussia Dortumund and a place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Player to watch: Gleison Bremer
The Brazilian is by far Juve’s best defender and their collapse in Istanbul last week came soon after he had to be substituted with a thigh injury in the first half.
His return from a mercifully short lay-off will be key for Juve’s chances at Roma who have the division’s second-best home record and are gaining momentum under Gian Piero Gasperini.
Juve showed on Wednesday that they are a goal threat but Bremer will need to plug a leaky defense at the Stadio Olimpico.
Key stats
10 — Inter’s points lead at the top of the division
40 — the number of points Inter have collected in their last 14 matches
Fixtures (times GMT)
Friday
Parma v Cagliari (1945)
Saturday
Como v Lecce (1400), Verona v Napoli (1700), Inter Milan v Genoa (1945)
Sunday
Cremonese v AC Milan (1130), Sassuolo v Atalanta (1400), Torino v Lazio (1700), Roma v Juventus (1945)
Monday
Pisa v Bologna (1730), Udinese v Fiorentina (1945)
