Chelsea made a perfect start under new manager Liam Rossner, defeating their London rivals Brentford 2-0 in a thrilling West London derby on Saturday in the English Premier League. This victory brought a measure of calm back to Stamford Bridge after a period of administrative and managerial turmoil.
A new era begins, and the results crisis is overcome
This victory comes at a crucial time for the London club, which has suffered a worrying slump in results recently, managing only one win in its last nine league matches. Most of those games were under former manager Enzo Maresca, who left his post on January 1st. Winning the opening match for new manager Rossner is a huge morale boost for the players and fans, and a clear message that the team is determined to get back on track and seriously compete for a place in European competitions.
Match details: Chelsea's effectiveness and Brentford's bad luck
Despite the positive result, the match was far from easy for the home side. Chelsea dominated for long periods, managing only two shots on target throughout the entire game, but they were clinical. João Pedro opened the scoring in the 26th minute with a brilliant individual effort, turning and unleashing a powerful shot that nestled into the top corner of Kevin Kelleher's net. The goal was initially ruled out for offside after being confirmed by VAR.
In the second half, returning star Cole Palmer extended his team's lead by scoring the second goal from a penalty kick in the 76th minute, which was awarded after a foul committed by goalkeeper Kelleher against substitute Liam Delap in a desperate attempt to regain possession.
A brilliant defensive performance and bad luck for the visitors
On the other hand, Brentford put in a strong performance but lacked the final touch, squandering several clear-cut chances. The most notable was Kevin Schade's opportunity in the first half, where he opted to pass instead of shooting, in addition to Mathias Jensen's shot that rebounded off the post. Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez continued his stellar performance, brilliantly saving Schade with his foot early in the second half to keep a clean sheet and secure the three points.
Impact of the win on the standings
With this result, Chelsea climbed to sixth place in the Premier League table, overtaking Brentford by one point and one place. This rise is significant in the battle for mid-table and European qualification, especially considering Brentford's impressive run of six consecutive matches unbeaten before this encounter.
