The live football results are out and Thomas Tuchel had five substitutes at his fingertips in the Carabao Cup, so he was able to come up with a unique answer to Chelsea’s selection dilemmas.
A combination of poor execution and Kepa Arrizabalaga’s brilliance held Brentford at bay until the second half when Tuchel unleashed his best players from the bench to clinch victory.
Both Reece James and N’Golo Kante were brought in at halftime and teamed to force the opening goal, which Pontus Jansson hacked into his own goal. Christian Pulisic and Jorginho, both added at halftime, won penalties that were converted by Jorginho.
It was well-deserved
Discipline was lauded as a strength of the group. Tuchel, who will face Tottenham in the Champions League semi-finals, remarked that the team was well-structured and had a lot of quality inside it. A “little Christmas miracle” was all Brentford manager Thomas Frank wanted for Christmas, but it never came.
As they return to the Premier League for their debut season, there will be more raucous celebrations at their new stadium, but this one will be remembered as an underwhelming one. For the first time in nearly a fortnight, Brentford appeared to be stifled by expectations, which had been building since Chelsea unveiled their young players.
There has been a half-century of academy graduates who have played for the club during the reign of Roman Abramovich. Vale and Soonsup-Bell were born in the middle of 2003, just before the Abramovich takeover.
Frank’s squad sat deep and tried to break out of their defensive shells when the homeball was turned over, but they still managed to create three great chances in the opening period.
Bryan Mbeumo found Yoane Wissa, who had been uncontested in front of goal, with a left-footed shot. Even though there was a glimmer of offside, Wissa should have been awarded a goal. Kepa deflected his header because it lacked the force to get past him.
A victory they needed
Brentford did the same thing to Chelsea in the same way. Midfielder Mathias Jensen was in space at the back post when Henry sent a cross in from the left. Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had to make a second save from his header.
Henry’s shot was saved by Kepa, who closed the angle and made a block before the half-time break. Speaking about goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel remarked, You don’t need to be an expert or those who วิเคราะห์บอล for a living to tell that he was a significant factor.
While Chelsea had a good deal of possession in the first half, they lacked passion and didn’t bother goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez. Soonsup-Bell crossed for Ross Barkley, who sent a shot crashing wide. Cesar Azpilicueta then shot over from distance.
With a 25-yard drive, Simons forced Fernandez into a save before Vale’s greatest opportunity of the first-half fell to him but he couldn’t find a way to get the ball past the keeper.
Jorginho was pivotal to Chelsea’s second-half improvement. Henry and Barkley each had chances to score, but Fernandez saved them both. Brentford made a strong defensive line around their goal area to try to contain Tuchel, but the German manager kept bringing on the big guns.
Despite Fernandez’s best efforts, James’s free-kick was saved by Barkley, who took a moment for yet another shot at the goal. You’d die to watch football live going forward since Ethan Pinnock got a hand on his shot and redirected it wide.
In the last seconds, Kante found James on the side and sent a low cross that smacked further into the upper corner off the leg of Jansson. When Pulisic was brought down by Fernandez, Jorginho stepped up and netted his 7th penalty of the year.
