Brentford 2-2 Chelsea (13 Sep, 2025) Game Analysis
Fábio Carvalho scored in the third minute of added time as Brentford rescued a dramatic 2-2 draw against Chelsea at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The visitors looked to have won it when Moisés Caicedo crashed home from the edge of the box in the 85th minute, seemingly capping a wonderful comeback inspired by substitute Cole Palmer.
Kevin Schade’s impressively taken goal had put the hosts ahead at the interval before the Blues hit back once Palmer had been summoned.
It was his goal just after the hour which levelled the match, but after Caicedo’s thunderbolt there was a final twist when Carvalho appeared at the far post to squeeze the ball home and steal a point.
“After we scored the second one we have to manage better,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said. “We scored 85, 86. In that moment we needed to give passes, we needed to slow down.”
Chelsea dictated play without the cutting edge, whilst the hosts stood up to their opponents with a disciplined shape and took their chance when it came.
What followed was a transformation equally familiar to Blues supporters, brought about once Palmer had come on in the second half and inspired a languid exercise in keep-ball to bloom into a biting attacking display which had looked beyond Chelsea’s capacity.
Palmer by no means brought his side back into the game on his own. Enzo Fernández and Pedro Neto played their part and both are growing in stature as players who could haul Chelsea into title contention this season.
But the mere on-field presence of the England international, who came on as a 56th-minute substitute for his first appearance since the opening weekend, seemed to wake the visitors up and make them believe.
“Cole was not fit to play from the start,” said Maresca. “That’s from the medical staff, it’s from the player. When we make a decision with an injured player it’s from all of us. When he is fit we are very happy.”
His absence had been felt in the first half. Chelsea had hogged the ball and held Keith Andrews’ side mostly inside their own half, but after 35 minutes they were caught out.
Trevoh Chalobah pushed up to join in an attack, leaving Tosin Adarabioyo alone to confront Schade as he chased a probing punt upfield by Jordan Henderson. After skipping into the box, a clever cut on to his left foot defeated the Blues defender, leaving Schade the room to finish low into Robert Sanchez’s corner.
Tyrique George came on at the break and immediately had Kelleher flinging himself low to turn away a drilled effort across goal.
Reece James and Marc Cucurella also entered for the second half followed shortly by Palmer, and at once Chelsea looked revived — Fernández and Neto linked up fabulously down the right, forcing Brentford to scramble the ball behind.
The equaliser arrived promptly and it was Fernández again, looking this season every bit the player Chelsea once broke their transfer record to sign, scooping the ball into the box where João Pedro climbed determinedly to beat Sepp van den Berg to nod straight to where Palmer was waiting to sweep home.
A remarkable reach by Sanchez kept Schade from immediately restoring Brentford’s lead before Kelleher produced something equally impressive to deny Palmer his second.
Chelsea’s pressure mounted, and in the 85th minute, it paid off when Caicedo thumped in what looked like the winner, before Carvalho’s stoppage-time intervention.
The 23-year-old has started only four Premier League games since the start of last season, but Andrews, said he anticipates a more prominent role in the future.
“Fabio is someone I feel for,” he said. “He hasn’t had as many minutes as he deserves, but his application to his craft is pretty special.
“Fabio does trust me. He knows I believe in him. I’ve asked for a bit of patience because I truly believe he’ll be a big player for this club.”
Information from PA was used in this report.