October 16, (THEWILL) – Chelsea kept their Premier League lead with a 1-0 win over Brentford on Saturday, thanks to a thunderous strike from Ben Chilwell.
Chilwell’s fantastic first-half effort decided the first league meeting between the two sides since 1947, keeping Chelsea one point ahead of Liverpool and two ahead of Manchester City at the top of the table.
Thomas Tuchel’s side had the majority of possession but failed to force David Raya into a single save, with Chilwell scoring from their only shot on target.
Bryan Mbeumo hit the post twice, but Chelsea held on to become the first team in English Football League history to win seven London derbies in a row.
After a slow start, the game exploded into life when Mbeumo rattled the crossbar in the 22nd minute, and Chelsea immediately went up the other end and scored through Romelu Lukaku, only for the offside flag to be raised.
Timo Werner missed a couple of chances before Chilwell’s rasping effort on the stroke of half-time gave Chelsea the lead their dominance of the game deserved.
After the break, the odds remained favourable. Before Tuchel introduced Mason Mount in the 65th minute, Mateo Kovacic’s errant shot was the only effort on goal from either team.
Brentford pushed for an equaliser, and Edouard Mendy saved a volley from Ivan Toney before Mbeumo hit the post again in the 75th minute.
In the 84th minute, Mendy made another great save to deny Saman Ghoddos, and Trevoh Chalobah cleared Christian Norgaard’s follow-up off the line.
As Chelsea clung on for all three points, Pontus Jansson was denied by Mendy’s face before the goalkeeper tipped Norgaard’s overhead kick onto the bar in stoppage time.
Mbeumo has now hit the post six times in the Premier League this season, more than any other team. Burnley are the only other team to have been denied at least five times by the goal frame.
For the first 70 minutes of the game, Mendy did not have much to do, but he came through for Chelsea when it counted. His saves on Toney, Ghoddos, Jansson, and Norgaard were crucial in the Blues’ victory.
Chelsea will play Malmo in the Champions League on Wednesday, while Brentford will not play again until Leicester City comes to town next Sunday.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
