There are plenty of reasons to draw parallels between yesterday’s defeat against Brentford and our loss at home to West Bromwich Albion last season.That 5-2 reverse was on 3 April 2021, just one day off being exactly a year earlier, and it also came off the back of the final international break of the season, and to too ended a long unbeaten run (it was the first loss under Thomas Tuchel).West Brom, like the Bees, were one of the sides promoted to the Premier League that season and on the day also proved ruthlessly efficient in taking any opportunity in front of the Chelsea goal.That was highlighted by the Baggies scoring five times from a performance with an expected goals (xG) rating of 1.63 goals. Brentford yesterday netted four times with their xG at 2.2. Chelsea’s one goal came from an xG of 1.78.

As everyone in the stadium yesterday saw, we went close from some good attacks – a top save denying Hakim Ziyech in the first half and Kai Havertz rolling the ball just wide when the score was 3-1, having almost blocking a clearance from goalkeeper David Raya into the Brentford net.In what are rated as having been ‘big chances’, Brentford generated a tally of four, two of those missed. Chelsea failed to convert either of our two big chances.

Toni goes third

Antonio Rudiger’s special strike of course did not fall into that category, he instead scoring a goal all of his own making.

His 38-yarder which opened the scoring early in the second half is the third-longest distance goal scored by Chelsea in the Premier League since OPTA started keeping records of that measurement in the 2006/07 season. It is bettered only by Frank Lampard and David Luiz.

Against Brentford, Rudiger had the most Chelsea shots in the game – his six the same figure as the Bees’ striker Ivan Toney, and our Toni’s two on target was matched by their Vitaly Janelt, although both of the German’s were goals scored.Kai Havertz was the second most threatening Chelsea player with four shots, one of which was on target.

Counting crosses

Thomas Tuchel lined Chelsea up in a 4-3-3 against Brentford’s 5-3-2, continuing with the shape that had won at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup. Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech ahead of him making moves inside and outside of each other was again a feature.Ziyech played three key passes, a total only matched for Chelsea by N’Golo Kante, who was playing his 250th Chelsea game, the 13th overseas player to reach that landmark for the club.

Ziyech also sent in a massive number of crosses – 18 in all – of which five were accurate. That was from a team total of six accurate crosses.On the ball, in most categories, the Blues registered higher totals than our visitors, but accuracy of crossing (in addition to goals scored of course) is one significant area in which they did outdo us. Thirty-five per cent of Brentford’s crosses reached a team-mate compared with 18 per cent of ours.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, continuing in the same position at the base of the midfield three that he had played at Middlesbrough, was our most accurate passer and completed the most dribbles.

Team totals

Brentford achieved their win with under 30 per cent of possession. That share of the ball remained similar in the goal-laded second half as it had been in the scoreless first.Chelsea had seven shots in that first period, five on target, and twice as many efforts, 14, after the break but only three of those worked the goalie. The Bees had 17 shots overall to our 21, and six on target to our eight – the bulk of those in the second half.Tuchel changed the formation to three at the back for the final 25 minutes with the introduction of Mateo Kovacic and Romelu Lukaku, moving Reece James, who had originally been a straight swap for Marcos Alonso nine minutes earlier, to right wing-back. Brentford scored one further goal after that switch.Chelsea lost the ball more often than our west London neighbours – 126 times to 108. We did have more of the possession to lose, but also indicative of an afternoon when it did not go right, Brentford won 12 more duels than us, six more aerial challenges and 10 more tackles.

It is Brentford’s first win in the nine games they have played against Chelsea since they won at Stamford Bridge in February 1939.Overall for Chelsea, the defeat brought to an end a 17-game unbeaten run at the Bridge in all competitions, dating back to when Manchester City won 1-0 in September.For good omens ahead of our hosting of Real Madrid on Wednesday, after that surprise heavy defeat against West Brom a year ago, we recovered to record a good Champions League win against Porto in the next match and followed that up with a 4-1 Premier League victory at Crystal Palace the next weekend.