Brentford have beaten Chelsea 3-0 to continue their unbeaten start and deal a heavy blow to Xabi Alonso’s side.
Winger Jaidon Anthony got the first goal from a corner, heading home to give Keith Andrews’ team the lead.
Igor Thiago got the Bees’ second goal after Kevin Schade was sent through in behind, with his initial effort saved before falling to the Brazilian, who converted from close range.
Fabio Carvalho got Brentford’s third as the Bees continue their strong start to the season, while Chelsea suffer their second defeat in four games.
Brentford beat Chelsea 3-0 and continued their unbeaten start
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Chelsea had the best chance early on after a clever move found the feet of Danny Welbeck, who set a nice ball back to Pedro Neto but was denied by Caoimhin Kelleher.
In a first half that lacked chances, the Blues had a free kick in a very promising position on the half-hour mark.
Morgan Rogers stepped over the set piece but directed his effort straight down the throat of Kelleher.
Brentford’s best chance of the first half came to Yehor Yarmoliuk, who got ahead of steam as he came forward, driving with the ball onto the edge of the Blues’ penalty area.
Jaidon Anthony scored Brentford’s first goal of the game
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The Ukrainian let one fly, but Emiliano Martinez denied it with a simple save.
Four minutes before the end of the first half, a brilliant run by Pep Chavarria saw the Spaniard pick out Rogers, whose shot was well-blocked by youngster Jannik Schuster.
The second half started with Brentford going close and rattling Chelsea’s crossbar.
A delivery found the head of Anthony, whose header beat Martinez but bounced off the bar and went behind for a goal kick.
Igor Thiago bagged his first league goal of the season
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The Bees winger got on the scoresheet not long after from a corner, with a delivery finding the head of Schuster, who knocked it back to Anthony.
The Englishman had all the space in the world to turn home and give Brentford the advantage.
Chelsea had a flurry of corners in response but could not create a clear-cut chance.
The Blues changed shape with 20 minutes to go, moving to a back four and committing more men forward in pursuit of an equaliser.
Chelsea struggled throughout as they lost their second game of the season
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Xabi Alonso has been dealt a heavy blow with defeat to Brentford
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REUTERS
Valentin Barco thought he should have been awarded a penalty, with the Chelsea players convinced, but a collision of legs between the Argentine and Mamadou Sangare was not enough to award a spot-kick.
The contest started to feel like Chelsea of last season, with whatever the Blues tried going forward proving to have no result.
Brentford got their second with seven minutes of normal time after Schade was sent through on goal, with his initial effort saved by Martinez, eventually falling to Igor Thiago.
The Brazilian tapped home to get his first league goal of the season, picking up a yellow card in his celebration for taking his shirt off.
Carvalho got the Bees’ third just before the end after a simple ball in by Schade was turned home by the Portuguese.
Brentford move up to third in the table, while Chelsea have to settle for seven points from their first 15.
The Bees boss Andrews was full of praise for his side, telling Sky Sports: “I think it’s important that you enjoy these nights. There’s no point hiding it. There are some tough days in the game, and you’ve got to enjoy the different emotions.
“I felt like there was something bubbling towards tonight. I have this unbelievable calm around the team because I trust them, so it’s nice to see it come to fruition.”
