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A message from Colum for Jeff:
“I have to say Gittens sounds more like a professor of sociology. Apparently he’s a replacement for Madueke who has excelled for Arsenal and England and whose sale I find baffling to say the least. Could you send best wishes to my Chelsea-supporting friend Jeff?”
What do you make of the Madueke sale, Jeff?
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38 min: Brentford deserve the lead. They’ve played with much more intensity than Chelsea. The home team have been excellent in the transition, turning defence into attack with speed.
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GOAL! Brentford 1-0 Chelsea (Schade, 34)
It’s a brilliant counter attack from Brentford. Chalobah wins a tackle outside of Brentford’s box but his challenge falls to the feet of a Brentford player. Jordan Henderson receives the ball deep in his half and clips an incisive through ball to Schade. The winger cuts in and slots the ball past Robert Sanchez in the far corner.
Nutmeg: Brentford’s Kevin Schade scores their first goal through the legs of Tosin. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/ReutersBrentford’s Jordan Henderson with the assist. Photograph: David Klein/ReutersShare
Updated at 21.42 CEST
A message from Julian:
“I’m following along with the Guardian live text for Brentford vs Chelsea and noticed your name on the page. My partner and I saw your film about Walthamstow FC at the Walthamstow International Film Festival back in June and really enjoyed it!
Regarding tonight’s football, as a Chelsea fan I’m excited for the debut of Jorrel Hato. His surname means ‘pigeon’ in Japanese, which of course harkens to the dating simulator game ‘Hatoful Boyfriend’. We all hope that he channels Ryouta the hard-working rock dove, as he tirelessly sprints up and down the left-hand channel.”
Thank you, Julian. I learnt something new tonight.
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27 min: We’re almost half an hour in and there hasn’t been a single effort on target. But don’t worry, there’s been a great deal of probing and an abundance of square passes.
Brentford’s Igor Thiago and Yehor Yarmolyuk in action with Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez and Wesley Fofana. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 21.35 CEST
24 min: Brentford are getting a foothold in this game. They’re passing the ball around well after surviving Chelsea’s early possession football.
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A message from Jeff:
“Surely it’s not just me who thinks that “Jamie Gittens” sounds more like an earnest medium-pace trundler who ended up with a few England caps, than an intermittently dangerous Chelsea winger … who ended up with a few England caps!”
I haven’t seen much from Gittens as yet. A former “intermittently dangerous Chelsea winger” has been playing well for Arsenal and England recently.
Arsenal’s Noni Madueke during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium in London, Britain, 13 September 2025. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPAShare
19 min: Moises Caicedo has been excellent as usual. He makes another challenge in the middle of the park.
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18 min: Out of nothing, Chelsea have a chance. Trevor Chalobah plays a delicious ball over the top into the path of Pedro Neto. It drops kindly for the winger but he can’t quite get the ball under control and the chance is wasted.
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15 min: Chelsea are playing some intricate stuff on the right hand side. They’ve struggled to create any clear-cut chances though.
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11 min: The referee grants Chelsea an undeserved free kick after Jamie Gittens went down. Enzo Fernández swings a free kick onto the head of the Tosin Adarabioyo. His header is well saved by Caoimhín Kelleher but the offside flag was up anyway.
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7 min: Brentford have made their game plan clear. Anticipating Chelsea will have the lion share of possession, Keith Andrew’s side seem set on clipping balls over the top on the counter attack. It’s causing Chelsea problems so far.
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5 min: Brentford have the first real chance of the game. It’s route one stuff: a long ball over the top finds Kevin Schade who take the ball down before cutting in and letting fly. The shot takes a deflection and is out for a corner.
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2 min: Chelsea are setting the tempo early in this game. It’s good to see Wesley Fofana back after a series of injuries. It’s strange to see him at right back though, especially with Reece James and Malo Gusto on the bench.
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Kick off
And we’re off! Brentford are kicking from left to right.
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A message from Alex:
“Has there ever been a team with so many players ending in -o? Chelsea could almost get a whole XI of them.”
And that’s without Estêvão.
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A message from Brendan Large:
“Does knowing Ranieri was the Tinkerman make me old? Argh…I know I am, of course, but that seems like a reference all Premier League fans should recognise, surely?”
I’m a bit younger than John Brewin but I know that Claudio Ranieri was the Tinkerman. Perhaps that’s because I follow Chelsea.
CHELSEA V ARSENAL, F.A. PREMIERSHIP MATCH, STAMFORD BRIDGE, LONDON. 21/2/04. PIC: TOM JENKINS.
CHELSEA MANAGER CLAUDIO RANIERI LOOKS ANGRY AS EIDER GUDJOHNSEN IS SENT OFF BY MIKE RILEY FOR A 2ND YELLOW CARD. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianShare
Updated at 20.49 CEST
The big team news for Brentford is the return of Vitaly Janelt to the squad. He’s available for the first time since April after undergoing surgery on his heel. He’s joined by new signing Reiss Nelson on the bench. According to Keith Andrews, the Arsenal loanee has “slotted seamlessly into the group.”
For Chelsea, Cole Palmer returns to the squad after recovering from his groin injury. Palmer is on the bench with Chelsea’s new signing Facundo Buonanotte starting in his place. Interestingly, there’s no sign of Estêvão Willian.
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John Brewin
The Prodigy are pumping at the GTech for this rather unsociable 8pm kick-off. They’ve just declared last orders will be at 10.30pm. So then, the football. That looks an odd Chelsea team with Wesley Fofana right-back. Is Enzo Maresca the new Tinkerman, for older fans – it’s a long time since Claudio Ranieri? Brentford was a difficult place to go to under Thomas Frank and Keith Andrews has to do the same. It’s a familiar lineup for his team, with Liverpool graduates in Caoimhim Kelleher and Jordan Henderson key men in the new Brentford.
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The teams
Brentford: Kelleher, Kayode, Van Den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, Lewis-Potter, Henderson, Yarmoliuk, Jensen, Schade, Thiago
Subs: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Henry, Nelson, Carvalho, Onyeka, Ouatarra, Ajer, Janelt
Chelsea: Sanchez, Fofana, Chalobah, Tosin, Hato, Caicedo, Enzo, Neto, Buonanotte, Gittens, Joao Pedro
Subs: Jorgenson, Acheampong, James, Gusto, Cucurella, Andrey Santos, Palmer, Garnacho, George
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to minute-by-minute coverage of Brentford v Chelsea in the Premier League.
A new manager, a transfer saga and a difficult start to the season. There’s been drama in west London, and that’s just at Brentford. The former set piece coach turned head coach Keith Andrews will be keen to kick-start his side’s season after an opening day loss against Nottingham Forest and last gasp defeat versus Sunderland. Brentford are slowly adapting to life without Christian Nørgaard, Brian Mbuemo and Youanne Wissa, by way of a protracted transfer saga.
For once, Chelsea look like the more stable side. 74 FA charges and Nicolas Jackson situation aside, Enzo Maresca’s side have started the season well, remaining unbeaten and conceding only one goal in the process. Tonight’s game is Chelsea’s fourth straight London derby this season. A win at the Gtech would see them climb to the top of the table.
Feel free to share your thoughts with me via email. Kick off is 8pm.
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