Claiming west London bragging rights on Sunday night, Chelsea extended on their Premier League romp as they collected a 2-1 victory against local rivals Brentford.
Although Enzo Maresca’s side might have been frustrated for large spells, Marc Cucurella’s header opened the scoring just moments before the half-time break.
Now sat within two points of climbing to the top of the Premier League table, Chelsea doubled their leas in the final 10 minuets as Nicolas Jackson dispatched past Mark Flekken.
Although the red-hot Bryan Mbeumo might have notched an injury-time consolation strike here, Chelsea made it seven consecutive victories across all competitions.
However, there was some bad news for the Blues as Cucurella was shown a second yellow card following the final whistle after an altercation with Kevin Schade.
As for Brentford, despite continuing to gain a reputation for their success on home soil, the Bees have claimed just a single top-flight point away from the Gtech and their European ambitions took a real dent here.
On a night when Chelsea moved within climbing to the top of the Premier League table, we have taken a look at the main talking points from Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea extend on their purple patch
While Chelsea might have officially got Maresca’s tenure underway with a 2-0 loss at the hands of Manchester City on August 18th, Sunday’s hosts have come roaring back in a sensational fashion.
Although some around Stamford Bridge might have been surprised over the summer as the former Leicester boss arrived in west London, the Blues have embarked on a sensational rise.
Continuing to receive a string of plaudits since Maresca’s arrival, Chelsea have won each of their previous seven appearances across all competitions and the mood in their camp is at a red-hot high.
Dragging themselves to a remarkable 4-3 win away at historic rivals Tottenham earlier in the month, Maresca’s side are now tipped as a genuine title contender this season.
Suffering just a single defeat from any of their first 16 Premier League appearances, Chelsea currently find themselves sat just one-point adrift of finding a route to the top of the table.
Brentford’s issues on the road continue
Claiming an action-packed 4-2 victory at home against Newcastle last weekend, Brentford travelled across west London dreaming of the chance to snatch another heavyweight scalp.
However, although Thomas Frank’s side might have remarkably collected 22 points from their first eight Premier League showdowns at the Gtech, Sunday’s guests have shown some glaring issues on the road.
Missing out on the chance to drag themselves into the top-half of the table and watching their shock European dreams take a major dent here, the Bees have failed to claim a maiden Premier League win on their travels.
Opening December with a 3-1 loss at the hands of Aston Villa, Brentford have also put just a single away point on the board since opening up the new campaign.
In fact, continuing on from last season, Frank’s side have recorded just a pair of Premier League victories away from the Gtech since a 2-0 win away at Wolves on February 10th.
Jackson underlines his importance once again
Although there might have been many Chelsea fans that were desperately hoping for a new number nine over the summer, Jackson has only continued to underline his importance to Maresca’s squad.
Making a full return on Sunday night after being omitted from Chelsea’s Europa Conference League squad, the Senegal international is enjoying another fruitful campaign in west London.
While Cole Palmer might have stolen plenty of the headlines around Stamford Bridge since his epic arrival last year, Jackson has played a crucial role in Chelsea’s success this season.
Bagging a second-half strike here, the former Villarreal striker has recorded nine goals in his 15 Premier League appearances this season and has received a string of praise from Maresca.
Likewise, notching three top-flight goals since returning from November’s international break, Jackson has further underlined his status as Chelsea’s leading man.
Match Report
Chelsea: Sanchez, Gusto, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Madueke, Palmer, Sancho, Jackson
Subs: Nkunku
Brentford: Flekken, van den Berg, Pinnock, Collins, Roerslev, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Yarmoliuk, Norgaard, Mbeumo, Wissa
Subs: Meghoma, Janela, Carvalho, Ajer, Schade
Goals: Chelsea: Cucurella (43’), Jackson (80’) – Brentford: Mbeumo (90’)
Yellow Cards: Cucurella
Red Cards: Cucurella (90+8’)
Referee: Peter Banks
