Xabi Alonso suffers second defeat as Brentford beat Chelsea 3-0

Chelsea suffered a second defeat under Xabi Alonso as Brentford extended their unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a 3-0 victory at Gtech Community Stadium.

Jaidon Anthony opened the scoring for the hosts in the 61st minute before Igor Thiago doubled Brentford’s advantage six minutes from time. Fabio Carvalho completed the win in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

The result moved Brentford up to third place temporarily on nine points after five matches, while Chelsea remained seventh with seven points.

Chelsea now have the worst defensive record in the Premier League this season, having conceded 15 goals. They have also failed to keep a clean sheet in 21 consecutive matches.

The London club have conceded at least twice in each of their five Premier League fixtures since Alonso took charge. Brentford, meanwhile, remain unbeaten after the opening five rounds of the competition.

How the match unfolded

Alonso made several changes to his Chelsea starting line-up. Joao Pedro missed the match through injury, with Danny Welbeck making his first Premier League start for Chelsea in his place.

Brentford took the lead when Mikkel Damsgaard delivered a cross into the area in the 61st minute. Yannick Schuster headed the ball across goal for Anthony, who finished from close range to score the opening goal.

The home side strengthened their position in the 83rd minute. Kevin Schade broke through and shot at goal, but Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made the initial save. Igor Thiago reacted quickest to convert the rebound and put Brentford two goals ahead.

Carvalho added the third in the 90th minute plus four. Schade’s cross was only partially cleared by the Chelsea defence, allowing Carvalho to collect the ball and send it into the net to confirm Brentford’s victory.

Brentford will next face Aston Villa in the sixth round of the Premier League on Saturday, 10 October.

Chelsea will also be in action on Saturday, 10 October, when they host Bournemouth in the same round.