Chelsea’s away end turned against Mauricio Pochettino and Todd Boehly on a mutinous afternoon at Brentford.
Yoane Wissa and Mads Roerslev thought they had given the Bees yet another victory over their waning west London rivals, but Axel Disasi saved the Blues’ blushes with a late header to earn a 2-2 draw.
Nicolas Jackson had headed in a wonderful Malo Gusto cross in a calmer first-half, but chaos ensued on and off the pitch in the second half.
Chelsea collapsed after the interval and, after celebrating star performers like Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez, the fans had simply had enough.
The frustration brewing for months finally boiled over into chants of “Roman Abramovich” and “Jose Mourinho”. There were also lewd chants about co-owner Boehly and boss Pochettino.
Disasi’s 83rd-minute equaliser suddenly brought fans back onside for a moment, giving Chelsea a platform to win the match.
They pushed Chelsea on as substitutes Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk tried to change the game, having been benched to play a new defensive 3-5-2 shape.
It must have been a confusing afternoon for Chelsea supporters, who want their team to win but also wanted to signal their frustration about the way the new Boehly-Clearlake ownership is running things.
They believe they have been patient enough, giving them nearly two seasons to show signs of progress.
But in the Premier League, Chelsea must face up to the real prospect of not qualifying for Europe. They sit 11th in the table, with just 12 games left to play.
Are Chelsea really any better than they were under Graham Potter? Yes, Pochettino and the ownership have reached the Carabao Cup final, but they played every round at home when Potter twice faced trips to Manchester City in the domestic cups.
They are also growing increasingly frustrated with Pochettino, who is asking for time, but to them, he just looks like a Tottenham man trying to do a job at Chelsea.
A draw was a fitting result for this mediocre Chelsea team, who are not that bad but also need to be better to haul themselves back into Europe or win over supporters.
It again feels like last season but for an FA Cup run, which could save the campaign.
