Brentford handed Chelsea a heavy 3-0 defeat in the Premier League on Saturday as Xabi Alonso’s side suffered another difficult night at the back.
Chelsea failed to score for the first time this season and remained without a win in their last three league matches.
The visitors had an early chance through Pedro Neto, but Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken kept him out. Chelsea struggled to take control after that and Brentford grew into the game.
Jaidon Anthony broke the deadlock for Brentford as the hosts again exposed Chelsea’s problems from set pieces. Brentford had spotted space at the back post and made use of it to take the lead.
“We did target the back post at half time,” Vitaly Janelt told Sky Sports. “There was a big gap at the far post.”
Chelsea struggled to respond after falling behind. Brentford looked stronger in midfield and continued to put pressure on the visitors.
The hosts eventually added two more goals to complete a convincing 3-0 victory. It was another worrying defensive display from Chelsea. They have now gone 22 Premier League matches without keeping a clean sheet.
Chelsea have also conceded at least twice in each of their last five league games under Alonso. Their problems from set pieces continued as well. They have conceded four goals from set pieces in their last five Premier League matches.
Chelsea defender Levi Colwill admitted his side needed to improve.
“We have not been good enough, at times we have been bullied and we need to improve at that,” Colwill said.
Alonso was also unhappy with how his team reacted after falling behind. “We dropped our consistency, our competitive mentality needed in the second half,” he said.
“We concede the first goal, you’re still in the game but then we lose the shape. We were out of control.”
The defeat was Chelsea’s 11th of 2026 and continued their poor run after a positive start to the season.
Chelsea will now have time to work on those problems before club football returns after the international break.
