Liam Rosenior became just the second Chelsea manager from the last eight to win his first Premier League game in charge (D4, L2), seeing his new side claim a 2-0 victory over Brentford at Stamford Bridge.
Without a win in five league games (D3, L2), Chelsea were desperate for an upturn in form, yet they were fortunate not to fall behind after 21 minutes.
Kevin Schade’s cutback sent Trevoh Chalobah sliding past him, but with the goal at his mercy, the German elected to pass, seeing his square ball cut out by Tosin Adarabioyo, who had Robert Sanchez to thank for denying a would-be OG.
The Blues didn’t take long to capitalise on that reprieve, breaking the deadlock five minutes later when Enzo Fernandez closed down Michael Kayode’s clearance, allowing Joao Pedro – who was originally flagged offside – to lash home from just inside the box.
Despite falling behind, Brentford continued to pose a threat, and they came close to levelling through Mathias Jensen, who swept a volley wide of the mark after a neat ball over the top from Mikkel Damsgaard.
Nonetheless, Chelsea arguably should have gone into the break with a two-goal lead, with Pedro Neto beating his man down the right and supplying an excellent ball across goal, only for Alejandro Garnacho to open up his body and guide his effort from point-blank range wide.
Needing a response, Keith Andrews’ side looked set to equalise soon after the restart, yet Sanchez’s outstretched foot came to Chelsea’s rescue, turning Schade’s low strike around the post when through on goal.
A period of relative calm followed, with neither side producing any chances of note as the Blues remained in control of the contest.
That was until Igor Thiago’s thundering header sailed wide of the post, but any encouragement heading into the final stages of the match was soon dashed.
A loose touch from Caoimhin Kelleher gave substitute Liam Delap the opportunity to steal possession in the box, prompting the goalkeeper to bring him down, which allowed Cole Palmer to calmly dispatch the resultant penalty.
That goal killed the game as a contest, ensuring a second win in nine Premier League meetings for Chelsea (D4, L3), and keeping the Blues in the mix for a UEFA Champions League spot after a string of poor results had seen them drop down the table.
As for Brentford, a 12th loss from 16 away league London derbies continues a poor record, but Bees fans won’t be overly concerned given their current position in seventh, just one point behind today’s victors.
