LONDON :Chelsea extended their long run without a Premier League away win on Sunday when they were held to a 0-0 draw at west London neighbours Brentford, dealing a fresh setback to their push for a Champions League spot.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca made five changes to the team that beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 on Thursday with strikers Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto coming on only as second-half substitutes.
Their introduction gave Chelsea a bit more bite in attack after a flat first 45 minutes, when their fans ironically chanted “we’ve had a shot” after a tentative effort. But they failed to really test Mark Flekken in the Brentford goal.
For the hosts, Bryan Mbeumo drew a good save from Robert Sanchez and Sepp Van Den Berg headed over from close range in the final 10 minutes before Palmer shot narrowly over with the last kick of the game.
Chelsea have not won in the league away from Stamford Bridge since beating Spurs 4-3 in early December.
Maresca’s men are fourth in the table, two points ahead of Manchester City who were visiting Manchester United later on Sunday. Aston Villa and Newcastle United, who have two games in hand on Chelsea, are close behind.
Five English clubs are likely to be in next season’s Champions League under UEFA’s rules, rather than the usual four, offering a bit of leeway for Chelsea whose big-spending U.S. investor owners want a return to top European competition as much for the financial returns as for the glory.
Maresca said he opted to keep his attacking trio of Jackson, Cole and Neto on the bench until the second half because of the short recovery time after Thursday’s hard-fought win over Spurs.
Jackson and Cole have recently recovered from injuries and Chelsea are due to play Legia Warsaw in a first-leg quarter-final of the UEFA Conference League in Poland on April 10 before hosting Ipswich Town in the Premier League next Sunday.
“The idea was to start in one way and to finish in the other way,” the Italian said. “The plan nearly worked because … in the last half an hour probably we created a bit more.”
Brentford coach Thomas Frank said it was his side who deserved to win, based on the good chances created over the 90 minutes which included first-half opportunities as well as the late ones.
“I think if there should have been a winner, I think it should have been us,” the Dane told reporters.
Brentford, who have not won at home since early December, stay in 12th position.
(Writing by William Schomberg; editing by Clare Fallon and Ed Osmond)
