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
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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
Desert Vipers hold nerve to edge Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in ILT20 thriller
- Key contributions from Shimron Hetmyer and Khuzaima Tanveer prove decisive as the Vipers weather tense finish to overhaul target of 171
- Knight Riders start well, reaching 87 in 10 overs, but momentum shifts in second half of their inning as the Vipers’ spinners struck back
SHARJAH: Desert Vipers made it two wins out of two in the DP World International League T20, as they held their nerve to secure a dramatic two-wicket victory over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Shimron Hetmyer’s counterattacking 48 off 25 balls, and a late-order cameo from Khuzaima Tanveer, who hit 31 off just 12 deliveries, proved decisive as the Vipers weathered a tense finish to overhaul a target of 171.
Sent in to bat, the Knight Riders made a confident start through Phil Salt and Alex Hales, with the latter anchoring the inning to top-score with 53 off 37 balls.
Despite reaching 87 in 10 overs, however, the momentum shifted in the second half of the inning as the Vipers’ spinners began to strike regularly. Qais Ahmad and Noor Ahmad led the middle-overs fightback, dismissing Hales and triggering a collapse as the Knight Riders lost five wickets.
Andre Russell’s unbeaten 36, and useful contributions from Alishan Sharafu and Unmukt Chand, at least helped Abu Dhabi reach a competitive total, but they were unable to fully capitalize on the side’s strong opening.
The Vipers began explosively in reply, smashing a tournament-record 19 runs from the first over. However, early wickets then left them wobbling on 44/3. Sam Curran and Dan Lawrence rebuilt the attack before the latter combined with Hetmyer for a crucial 68-run stand that swung the contest back in the their favor.
Late strikes from Ajay Kumar and Russell, the latter dismissing Hetmyer for his 500th T20 wicket, set up a tense finish, but Tanveer delivered under pressure. Needing eight runs off the final over, he sealed victory with a six and a boundary.
“It was, in many ways, a fortunate escape but an outstanding result for us,” said Curran, the Vipers’ stand-in captain.
“ADKR possess a very powerful batting lineup, and I believe our bowlers performed exceptionally well throughout the innings. The dismissals of Hetmyer and Dan introduced an unexpected twist but the team showed commendable composure in the crucial moments.”
Knight Riders’ stand-in skipper Sunil Narine felt his side had been lacking with the bat: “We were 15-20 runs short. We began well in the powerplay and that phase was crucial for us.
“The conditions eventually worked in their favor and the dew made it challenging for our spinners. But at the end of the day that’s part of the game.”
The result leaves the Vipers well placed at this early stage of the tournament, while the Knight Riders were left to reflect on missed opportunities after such a strong start.
