Brentford and Chelsea play out derby stalemate

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Brentford 0
Chelsea 0

Brentford and a much-changed Chelsea side had to settle for a draw in the west London derby. 

Blues boss Enzo Maresca started with Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Pedro Neto on the bench and his side lacked creativity in attack without them as they failed to consolidate their place in the Champions League qualification places.

Brentford have now not won at home in eight matches but had the better chances and also kept their first clean sheet of the season at the Gtech Community Stadium.

In the first half, the visitors were fortunate that Mikkel Damsgaard was unable to connect properly with his shot once he was played in by Yoane Wissa and Robert Sanchez also had to save well as Keane Lewis-Potter looked to head home a corner.

Maresca’s side were much improved after the interval, with Jackson, Neto and Palmer all introduced from the bench by the hour mark.

It was Brentford’s Sepp Van den Berg who almost gave them the lead though, turning a Jackson cross against the chest of his own goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

Flekken had to be alert again not long after to keep out a Neto effort from the edge of the box and then push away a Reece James header from a Chelsea corner.

It was Brentford who had the better chances in the games closing stages as Sanchez was forced to save a Bryan Mbeumo strike before Van den Berg headed over from close-range from the corner that followed.

Palmer almost proved decisive once again for Chelsea with the final kick of the game but his effort from the edge of the box whistled narrowly over the crossbar.

Brentford: Flekken, Ajer (Kayode 83), Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter, Yarmoliuk (Janelt 66), Norgaard, Damsgaard (Jensen 83), Mbeumo, Wissa, Schade.
Subs not used: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Mee, Konak, Maghoma.

Chelsea: Sanchez, James (Cucurella 77), Tosin, Chalobah, Gusto, Caicedo, Dewsbury-Hall (Palmer 59), Madueke (Neto 59) , Fernandez, Sancho, Nkunku (Jackson 45).
Subs not used: Jorgensen, Acheampong, Colwill, Badiashile, George