‘I can’t believe what I’ve just watched’ – Paul Merson taken aback by moment in Chelsea vs Brentford
Paul Merson could not quite believe his eyes during one hectic moment between Chelsea and Brentford at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea should have been awarded an early penalty after Joao Pedro was clipped inside the box, but the calls for a spot-kick fell upon deaf ears before the Brazil international opened the scoring later.
Liam Rosenior oversaw his first Premier League win, eventually, with Cole Palmer adding another from 12 yards with 15 minutes left to play, but that did not mean that the Bees were without their chances.
Sitting fifth in the Premier League before the weekend’s action, Brentford have been flying under Keith Andrews, and they will be disappointed not to come away with anything on Saturday, 17 January.
Brentford squander the perfect chance to score vs Chelsea
In the early stages, the teams exchanged big chances to hit the back of the net, and, going by Merson’s commentary, the Bees should have taken the lead before Pedro’s opener.
Speaking live on Sky Sports News (17 January, 3:22pm), Merson said: “I can’t believe what I’ve just watched, and it’s Brentford who have missed it. It’s exactly the same position.
“Schade’s away, and he gets into the box. [Trevoh] Chalobah comes sliding across. He slides across. All he [Schade] has got to do is put it in the net, and it’s a goal. All of a sudden, Tosin gets back, and it hits the goalkeeper.
“It gets cleared, but I can’t believe he’s not scored. Cut in and just roll it in, but he doesn’t. I cannot believe that, but to be fair to the goalkeeper, it’s a great save.”
What did Keith Andrews make of his team’s performance?
The Bees have become a dark horse for the European spots this season, with 33 points from their first 22 games, so Andrews has to be pleased with what he’s seen in recent weeks.
Reacting to the defeat, he said, “We just weren’t clinical enough with the chances we had. We didn’t give up anything at the other end. I’m proud of the performance levels. The growth of the team is there for everyone to see.”
Anything could have happened at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues still learning Rosenior’s playing style, but they were able to secure all three points against a high-flying Brentford team.
Even against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, Chelsea put up a brilliant fight, with two second-half goals from Alejandro Garnacho, but the new boss will have to settle for two wins from three.
The Bees will be regretting their missed chances, but it will be a game of lessons learned for the young attackers.