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Chelsea will take Brentford back to Stamford Bridge for a replay after this one finished 2-2, with Chelsea going behind TWICE in the game. Goals from Oscar and Fernando Torres saved Chelsea’s blushes in this one but it’s still not good enough.
With a strong side named to start (Turnbull, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry(c), Cole, Ramires, Lampard, Bertrand, Oscar, Marin and Torres), and in my view our strongest back four, you would expect Chelsea to get hold of the ball, pass it around and create plenty of chances. In the first half, it never happened, and to be fair, it was all Brentford.
Chelsea had plenty of possession but did little with it to be honest and hardly threatened the Brentford goal. At the other end, Brentford were lively and created at least three or four half chances.
They pressed and pushed high up against us and made life difficult, which is what you should expect playing at a lower league side on their own ground, and we couldn’t get to grips with it, if we are honest.
Misplaced passes, sluggish in possession and second best, Chelsea were simply not up and at it in the first half compared to our hosts this afternoon.
We had plenty of possession but did little with it and we struggled to break them down. Chelsea paid the price and went a goal behind after again being sluggish in possession and being closed down inside our own half. After a scramble out wide left, JT played the ball inside to Frank Lampard, and like a flash he was closed down and lost the ball.
The impressive Forrester latched on to the loose ball and struck a shot from 25 yards that Turnbull could only parry at full stretch. Trotta was on to it and volleyed the ball low and hard into the bottom corner, and being honest, it was fully deserved.
At half time, Chelsea were 1-0 down and second best. Marko Marin struggled to get into the game and found it difficult to beat his man. Gary Cahill couldn’t pass the ball to another blue shirt at times and gave the ball away more often than not. If you had a quid for every time Fernando Torres touched the ball, you could only grab yourselves a hot dog from the concession stall at half time!
Benitez took Marin off for Juan Mata at half time and pushed Oscar back out wide, and it made an impact almost immediately. With Mata on the ball, Brentford sat off him and allowed him to pick his passes as Chelsea pressed forward, and had plenty more possession in and around their box.
Chelsea drew level at 1-1 with Brentford by a brilliant goal from Oscar. With plenty of defenders around him, he took a touch to control the ball on the edge of the box, dribbled around two and flicked the ball with the outside of his foot into the far corner with the goalkeeper beaten. A great piece of skill and finish.
You would now expect Chelsea to press forward and get a couple more but it simply never happened for two reasons, firstly our use of the ball and secondly, Brentford’s resolve.
We created a couple of half chances, long shots and headers wide or over the bar when we should have done better but still needed that something extra.
To their credit, Brentford set their stall out in the second half and looked to hit us on the counter, and their plan worked as they scored a debatable penalty. Ramires, being pressed in possession off the ball, gave it away as he was closed down, and John Terry and Gary Cahill found themselves on the back foot. Donaldson spotted the run of Adeyemi, played him in, and as Ross Turnbull came off his line, knocked the ball past him as Turnbull stuck his arms out to make contact with the ball.
Adeyemi went over and looked like he jumped over him rather than being taken out by Turnbull, but the referee fell for it and awarded a penalty, with Turnbull being booked in the process. Forrester stepped up and scored low down to Turnbull’s right to make it 2-1.
It was at this moment once again I am looking for an immediate reaction from “our manager” but it still didn’t happen. We were chasing the game again and needed Demba Ba to come on. What does he do? He takes off Ivanovic and replaces him with Azpilicueta!
Chelsea continued to press forward, looking for an equaliser but again couldn’t open the door. Then, a full 10 minutes after Brentford scored to make it 2-1, Rafa replaces Ryan Bertrand with Demba Ba with seven minutes to go, but sticks him out wide left!
Demba Ba’s impact is immediate as he comes inside looking for a flick from Torres after a long ball is played up to him. Torres chests the ball into his path and Ba fights for the ball. As he is on the floor, he manages to get a foot on the ball and plays it towards Torres, who strikes the ball first time past the goalkeeper from 20 yards into the top corner to make it 2-2. A great finish from our man under pressure.
Now you think, go at them Chelsea and get a winner, as it’s obvious they are now happy to take a draw and a money spinning replay at the Bridge. Again though, we huff and puff and couldn’t create anything of note until literally 1 minute before the end of the four minutes injury time.
Juan Mata picked the ball up wide left and crossed into the box. As he did, the ball struck the defender clear as a day on his arm. Mata and Demba Ba immediately appealed for a penalty, but the referee wasn’t interested despite continued protests. Replays confirm it should have been given.
Brentford hold out and the game finishes 2-2 and they will look forward to the replay and the gate receipts that follow. You have to credit them for the way they approached the game and the way they played. They made life difficult for Chelsea and didn’t deserve to lose the game.
As for Chelsea, you have to question whether we did enough to win the game, and I personally do not think we did. You cannot travel to a lower league side in the FA Cup knowing that they and their crowd are going to be well up for it and for you to not be the same.
You have to take possession of the ball and play your football to take the sting out of the game and keep the crowd quiet. By doing that, the opposition sit back, become nervous, allow you possession of the ball and make mistakes.
Chelsea didn’t do that from the off and made life difficult for themselves here, when it should never have been the case.
Once again, we see a Chelsea side that turn up for 45 minutes in a game that lasts 90 minutes, and it isn’t good enough.
A replay is a game we could have done without, but for Brentford it’s massive!
