Brentford 2-2 Chelsea: Player ratings as late Disasi header earns draw for Blues

Chelsea needed a late header from Axel Disasi to snatch a 2-2 draw with Brentford on Saturday.

The Blues were comfortable in the first half and were good value for the lead handed to them by Nicolas Jackson's header, but Brentford upped their performance after the break as goals from Mads Roerslev and Yoane Wissa turned the game on its head.

With the clock ticking down, Disasi popped up with a powerful header to save Chelsea from another disappointing defeat.

How the game unfolded

Ivan Toney saw a close-range volley blocked early on, before Wissa's strike from the edge of the box looked threatening but was always curling wide of Djordje Petrovic's far post.

Chelsea had their odd moments of quality but were often let down by a sloppy pass in the opening stages, with a speculative looping header from Disasi as close as the Blues came inside the first 20 minutes, despite boasting over 75% possession.

Wissa struck the side netting from a tight angle before Jackson rounded Mark Flekken but saw his slow effort cleared off the line by Mathias Jorgensen.

There would be no denying Jackson on the 35-minute mark, however, The Senegal striker rose highest to meet a cross from Malo Gusto and steered his header perfectly into the bottom corner.

The goal clearly knocked Brentford's confidence as Chelsea began to flex their quality. The Blues had plenty of half-chances but had to make do with their slender advantage at the break.

Brentford responded perfectly to start the second half. Toney's looping cross found Sergio Reguilon but the Spaniard's shot was deflected into the path of Roerslev for a simple tap-in.

Vitaly Janelt struck the post just moments later, before Cole Palmer missed a great chance on the counter when Chelsea really needed something to help ease the pressure Brentford's wave of momentum had created.

The Bees kept coming and got the second goal their performance deserved with 20 minutes to go. Frank Onyeka sent the ball soaring into the air where Wissa went to meet it with a glorious overhead kick that crashed into the back of the net.

Reguilon hit the post with a header as Chelsea continued to flounder in the air, but there were no such problems at the other end of the pitch as Palmer's cross was crashed into the back of the net by Disasi to set up an intriguing final five minutes.

Both sides pushed for a winning goal, but a draw was a fair result when all was said and done.

Brentford player ratings (3-5-2)

GK: Mark Flekken - 6/10 - Couldn't do much about either goal but was otherwise decent.

CB: Mathias Jorgensen - 5/10 - His clearance off the line was important but 'Zanka' had a tough time on Brentford's right side.

CB: Kristoffer Ajer - 5/10 - His sheer presence was a problem for Chelsea but Ajer fell short when actually tasked with defending. Not good enough for Jackson's header.

CB: Nathan Collins - 5/10 - Chelsea were busiest down their right side and gave Collins a really tough time. Gusto's late runs caused him all sorts of problems.

RM: Mads Roerslev - 7/10 - A poor first half followed by a really impressive second. In the right place for his goal and continued to cause problems down the right.

CM: Frank Onyeka - 6/10 - The game seemed to pass Onyeka by in the first half. A little more energy after the break as he helped his side press.

CM: Christian Norgaard - 7/10 - Put a real shift in to try and cover the entire midfield. Some great work rate and passion.

CM: Vitaly Janelt - 6/10 - Like Onyeka, Janelt improved as the game went on but was still a little quiet.

LM: Sergio Reguilon - 7/10 - Notably did his best to get up and down the pitch. Was key both Brentford's goals.

ST: Ivan Toney - 6/10 - Caused a handful of problems for Chelsea's backline but was feeding off scraps for the most part. Helped create the equaliser with a nice cross.

ST: Yoane Wissa - 7/10 - Brought energy to Brentford's attack and produced the best moment of the game.

Substitutes

SUB: Mathias Jensen (76' for Onyeka) - 6/10

SUB: Yehor Yarmoliuk (87' for Janelt) - N/A

SUB: Neal Maupay (87' for Wissa) - N/A

Subs not used: Thomas Strakosha (GK), Kim Ji-soo, Shandon Baptiste, Saman Ghoddos, Mikkel Damsgaard, Keane Lewis-Potter

Manager

Thomas Frank - 7/10 - Needed to change something at the break and got the results he was looking for. Brentford were unfortunate not to win this one.

Chelsea player ratings (3-5-2)

GK: Djordje Petrovic - 6/10 - Didn't have a whole lot to do aside from pick the ball out the back of his net.

CB: Axel Disasi - 6/10 - Seemed to hesitate when given the chance to clear his lines for the equaliser, but just about redeemed himself with a nice late goal of his own.

CB: Trevoh Chalobah - 5/10 - Had a really solid first half but wilted when the pressure started to rise.

CB: Levi Colwill - 5/10 - Didn't enjoy the physical battle at all and failed to inspire confidence when Brentford got on top of the game.

RM: Malo Gusto - 6/10 - Another top attacking performance from Gusto, whose cross for Jackson's opener was excellent. Did let himself down with his defending, however.

CM: Moises Caicedo - 6/10 - One of the best players on the pitch in the first half but Caicedo was one of many who struggled when Brentford actually got going.

CM: Enzo Fernandez - 6/10 - Created plenty of chances with some smart passing but looked noticeably fatigued in the second half and had to be replaced.

CM: Conor Gallagher - 6/10 - Put himself about with real energy but spoiled his performance with a yellow card for diving.

LM: Ben Chilwell - 5/10 - Not involved as much as he should have been. Didn't get a whole lot wrong but fans were left wanting more.

ST: Cole Palmer - 7/10 - Struggled for time on the ball but had some excellent moments when he did finally see some possession. A great cross for Disasi's late goal.

ST: Nicolas Jackson - 7/10 - Another chaotic performance for Jackson, whose fluffed stepovers will end up being a bigger highlight than his goal.

Substitutes

SUB: Mykhailo Mudryk (71' for Fernandez) - 5/10

SUB: Raheem Sterling (79' for Colwill) - 6/10

Subs not used: Robert Sanchez (GK), Thiago Silva, Marc Cucurella, Alfie Gilchrist, Cesare Casadei, Noni Madueke, Jimi Tauriainen

Manager

Mauricio Pochettino - 4/10 - Chelsea switched formation to counter Brentford's aerial threat and were then completely hammered in the air. While the players have to take some blame, the change in shape clearly didn't offer much.

Player of the match - Sergio Reguilon (Brentford)