Brentford 0-0 Chelsea: Match report & 3 talking points from hard-fought stalemate

Chelsea's push for a place in this season's top four took a blow on Sunday with a frustrating 0-0 draw away at Brentford.

The much-changed Blues failed to impress in the first half and only came to life following a series of substitutions after the break, but there was no way through a resolute Brentford defence who will feel a share of the spoils is the least they deserved.

How the game unfolded

The hosts made a bright start to the game, firing in a handful of nervy crosses and pressing Chelsea into the occasional mistake playing out from the back. Kevin Schade's pace caused plenty of problems but it was Mikkel Damsgaard who found himself racing through on Robert Sanchez's goal, only to lose his footing when winding up for the strike.

Bryan Mbeumo fizzed wide on the half-hour mark as Brentford refused to offer Chelsea a route into the game. Noni Madueke's routine strike was the Blues' only real sight of goal in a bitterly disappointing first half which saw them register 58% possession but only one effort on target.

Nicolas Jackson's half-time introduction brought an increase in tempo, and fellow substitute Pedro Neto stung Mark Flekken's gloves with a curling effort from the edge of the box after an hour.

Down the other end, Robert Sanchez got a strong wrist to a powerful strike from Bryan Mbeumo, and the ensuing corner should have led to an opener for Brentford. Sepp van den Berg got away in the six-yard box but sent his free header into the ground and bouncing over the bar.

Ultimately, there would be no separating the two sides, who will both feel as though they had the chances to earn all three points here.

Rotation costs Chelsea

Enzo Maresca made five changes to his starting lineup here, opting to rest big names like Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer and Marc Cucurella. That came as a surprise given the significance of this fixture compared to those coming up on the calendar.

Chelsea are in action in midweek for the first leg of their Conference League quarter-final against Legia Warsaw, but that would appear to be a simpler fixture on paper. After that, Chelsea face off against 18th-placed Ipswich Town. Of the three, this was the important one as finishing in the top four is undoubtedly the biggest reward on offer to the Blues.

When Maresca's biggest names came off the bench in the second half, it sparked some much-needed improvement from Chelsea, but there was not enough time to snatch the victory they needed. A big risk from the boss which did not pay off.

The final straw for Nkunku?

With Jackson dropped to the bench, Christopher Nkunku was handed another chance at the head of the Chelsea team sheet. The Frenchman has failed to impress outside of the Conference League this season and that was again the case here.

During his time on the field, Nkunku managed just one shot (off target), three touches in the Brentford box and four duels lost. Enzo Fernandez even voiced his frustrations towards what he felt was a lack of movement from the Frenchman, who was hooked at the interval in favour of Jackson.

Maresca's faith in Nkunku has been dropping with each passing performance, and there will soon come a time in which it disappears completely. Chelsea will sign a new striker this summer and it seems clear who will leave to make space in the squad.

Blues fan frustrations

With results slowing down for Chelsea in 2025, supporters have been venting their frustrations towards what many see as an underwhelming style of play from Maresca's side.

Fans inside the Gtech Community Stadium brought out the rare chant of "Attack! Attack! Attack!" in the first half, and then sarcastically serenaded Madueke's tame effort with a chorus of "We've had a shot!".

With missed opportunities and the race for a spot in the top four no longer in their hands, the pressure will only ramp up on Chelsea in the coming weeks and supporters will demand immediate improvements.

Player ratings

Check out the player ratings from Brentford 0-0 Chelsea here.

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