It was a cold and wet evening at Wheatsheaf Park, and Chelsea didn’t get off to the best start, falling behind early to Kyreece Lisbie’s powerful volley. However, Brentford's lead didn’t last long.

Chelsea quickly found their rhythm and equalised in the 20th minute, after a brilliant team move. Captain Ishe Samuels-Smith delivered a precise cross to the back post, where Ato Ampah powered in an unstoppable header.

After the restart, the Blues faced heavy pressure as Brentford pressed aggressively, eventually regaining the lead through Lisbie’s second goal of the evening. But we fought back and, in the final minute of normal time, Rak-Sakyi’s towering header secured a hard-earned point.

Early setback

The Premier League Cup clash started with an unexpected blow for Chelsea, as the hosts struck almost immediately after kick-off. Iwan Morgan floated a looping cross into the area and Lisbie patiently waited before volleying the ball into the top corner, giving Brentford an early lead.

We gradually settled into our game and began to build momentum, not helped by a long delay before restarting following the opening goal due to a floodlight failure, as the wind and rain continued to pound the Wheatsheaf Stadium.

Promising link-up play between 17-year-old Landon Emenalo and Kiano Dyer pushed the Blues upfield. However, Brentford’s defence, led by the sharp-eyed Benjamin Arthur, made it difficult to break through, keeping a close eye on our No9 Donnell McNeilly.

Blues bounce back

The breakthrough came through a brilliant team effort. Tyrique George played a neat pass to Dyer, who sent a perfectly timed ball down the left flank to a sprinting Samuels-Smith. The left-back cut the ball back perfectly to Ampah, who rose high and powered a header home to level the score. It was a well-crafted move that hinted at an exciting match.

That equaliser sparked life into Chelsea. Under-18s regular Genesis Antwi was lively on the right flank, making threatening runs from deep and whipping in dangerous crosses that skimmed across the face of the goal, keeping Brentford under pressure.

However, the action swung back and forth quickly. The home side nearly regained their lead when Lisbie latched onto a looping cross from Isaac Holland. Positioned at the near post, his header narrowly bounced wide, giving Chelsea a close escape.

Unfortunately, Filipe Coelho was forced into an early substitution. Ronnie Stutter replaced George, who had taken a heavy fall into the advertising hoardings while sprinting down the wing. Despite his determination to continue, the winger had to depart from the action-packed clash.

Chelsea responded maturely, creating several threats during the 12 minutes of added stoppage time before the interval. Stutter made an immediate impact, using his pace to beat his marker and deliver a dangerous cross for Antwi, but a Bees defender managed to block the attempt.

As the first half came to a close, Chelsea found themselves on the defensive, as the hosts intensified their efforts to take the lead. Ethan Briely had a low, teasing shot, but it didn’t find the target. Both teams went into the break tied, with nothing to separate them.

Bees' sting

Brentford came out with aggression in the second half, forcing Eddie Beach into action. He made a solid save under pressure from Joshua Stephenson, when Morgan intercepted a Chelsea back pass and fed it to the Bees' striker, who fired a venomous shot on target. Beach did well to push the effort away.

After a lengthy spell of cagey play, with the rain pouring even heavier, the hosts had another opportunity to score. Paris Maghoma hammered an effort from inside the area that looked destined for goal, but substitute defender Zak Sturge stretched out his leg to block the shot and prevent it from troubling Beach.

But this time, Brentford found the back of the net after a quick break. With few Blues players back, Lisbie completed his brace by capitalising on a Maghoma cross. The forward cut inside and shot over Beach, who had dived for the bottom corner, putting the hosts 2-1 in front.

Fighting to the end

Just when Brentford thought they had done enough, Rak-Sakyi responded in the 90th minute for Chelsea, giving us a lifeline back into the game. Stutter raced down the wing with blistering pace and delivered a floating cross for Rak-Sakyi, who leapt high and looped a header into the top corner, beyond Julian Eyestone's reach, levelling the scores for the second time in this cup fixture.

Despite a determined push by Chelsea for a late winner during stoppage time, Brentford held on and we left Wheatsheaf Park with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against the Bees.

What it means

Although we are level on points with Brentford, the Bees have completed all six of their games and we have the superior goal difference. To guarantee our spot in the knockout stages of the competition, we must win or draw in our next fixture against Derby County.

What's next

Chelsea will conclude our Premier League Cup group-stage campaign by hosting Derby County on Friday evening at Kingsmeadow. Kick-off is at 7pm and supporters worldwide can catch the action via our livestream on the official Chelsea app and website.

Alternatively, tickets are still available for purchase at our reduced prices. Season ticket holders, members, and juniors (under-20) can secure a free ticket, while tickets for adults and seniors are on general sale priced at £4.

The teams

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Eddie Beach; Genesis Antwi, Harrison Murray-Campbell, Landon Emenalo, Ishe Samuels-Smith (c) (Zak Sturge 69); Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Ollie Harrison (Harrison McMahon 69); Ato Ampah, Kiano Dyer (Kaiden Wilson 86), Tyrique George (Ronnie Stutter 42); Donnell McNeilly
Unused sub: Ted Curd
Scorers: Ampah 20, Rak-Sakyi 90

Brentford (4-3-3): Julian Eyestone, Benjamin Fredrick, Josh Stephenson, Ji Soo Kim (Conor McManus h-t), Benjamin Arthur, Yunus Konak (Riley Owen 63), Isaac Holland (Michael Olakigbe 70), Ethan Brierly (c), Iwan Morgan (Ethan Laidlaw 70), Paris Maghoma, Kyreece Lisbie (Max Dickov 83)
Scorer: Lisbie 2, 81
Booked: Konak 45, Laidlaw 86