7.45pm 22 December 2021
English Football League Cup, Quarter-final
Brentford 0 Chelsea 2 (att 16,577)
I grew up close enough to Griffin Park to consider Brentford my local 'proper' team. I was never a supporter as such, but I used to go quite often and have retained a soft spot for the club.
That they're now in the top flight still surprises me, having grown up on a diet of third and fourth division games. It also made getting a ticket for the new Brentford Community Stadium a challenge.
Cup matches are usually a good bet for getting tickets though. Seats for this west London derby never went on general sale, but it was still possible to get one, albeit in someone else’s name.
New grounds can be bland, but Brentford's is impressive. Good use has been made of the limited space available on a parcel of land close to Kew Bridge station. The design is striking, and sets it apart from other new-builds in the professional leagues.
Carabao Cup ties are often an chance for Premier League clubs to rest a few stars. Chelsea fielded an inexperienced starting eleven against a stronger-looking Brentford side.
The visitors dominated possession but didn’t look like scoring, while the Bees created chances but didn’t really test the Chelsea keeper beyond routine saves.
A goalless draw looked likely until Chelsea replaced youngsters with some experienced players from the bench, and it made the difference. They forced an own goal to go ahead 10 minutes from time.
An 85th minute penalty sealed the win, and sparked a mass exodus of Brentford fans who had no faith in their team’s ability to recover. They were proved right, but it must have been dispiriting for players to see the stadium drained of supporters.
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