Brentford have given Xabi Alonso a lot to think about going into the international break, after beating Chelsea 3-0.
Xabi Alonso has been taught a bitter lesson on how things work in the Premier League by Brentford’s Keith Andrews. Chelsea have been known for their high-scoring games, but against Brentford, that free-flowing attack was nowhere to be found.
Maybe it was due to the absence of Joao Pedro, followed by the absence of Reece James and continued time on the sidelines for Caicedo.
Chelsea came into the game with a midfield of Barco and former Brentford player Jordan Henderson, while Welbeck led the attack. These changes instantly affected the play.
Chelsea initially looked superior in the midfield, but in attack, you could tell the Joao Pedro factor was lacking. They had only two shots on target in the first half, with Pedro Neto’s saved shot being their best chance of the game.
Defensively, they held firm for most of the game, forcing Brentford to shoot from range. In the first half, they were the better team, but in the second half, the entire team didn’t turn up.
Chelsea once again defended a corner poorly and were finally punished by Anthony, who headed into an empty net.
A FIRST BRENTFORD GOAL AND WHAT A TIME FOR IT 🔥🔥
Damsgaard whips in a corner to the back post – Schuster nods it into the middle and @jaidonanthony is there to apply the finishing touch from close range
🐝 1-0 🔵#BRECHE | #BrentfordFC https://t.co/I02hpzzjay
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) September 18, 2026
Henderson let out his anger at Emi Martinez, whom he believed should’ve done a better job, but for the second goal, there was nothing the goalkeeper could’ve done. Chelsea were split open by a counterattack, but Martinez did well to save Schade’s shot, only for Thiago to score the rebound, and his defensc looked clueless when he screamed at them for letting the Brazilian score after all his good work.
It wasn’t really a bad performance from Chelsea, but the final scoreline begs to differ. Brentford added a third in the closing minutes of the game to completely seal the Blues’ doom. It was a tough lesson for Alonso and a huge relief for Keith Andrews, who screamed at the heavens in happiness when Fabio Carvalho’s shot made it 3-0.
G-checked at the Gtech. pic.twitter.com/BFxP1qpIll
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) September 18, 2026
Xabi Alonso heads into the international break with a lot to think about. His mighty Blues got G-checked at the G-Tech Stadium and will spend the next three weeks thinking about this result. As a manager of a club of this stature, he now needs to come up with tangible answers when football resumes after the international break,
