Chelsea earned their first Premier League win under Liam Rosenior as beat Brentford 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer, from the penalty spot, scored either side of the interval for the Blues.
The result saw them leapfrog the visitors into sixth place in the league.
Dom Smith was at Stamford Bridge to rate the Chelsea players’ performances…
After a difficult week, he deserved his clean sheet here and made an exceptional save to deny Kevin Schade with an outstretched foot.
Reece James 7
Made one goal-saving block and a number of important interceptions to break up Brentford’s rhythm.
Trevoh Chalobah 7
Controlled the back-line well and was sensible in where he positioned himself. Started out the right of the two and then went left when Wesley Fofana came on.
Tosin Adarabioyo 8
Brought in to counter Brentford’s aerial threat and long-throw specialism. It worked a treat. Tosin was a monster in the air and Chelsea’s best player until he went off with a suspected injury.
Marc Cucurella 6
Was booked in the second half but showed tenacity throughout and covered others when they were out of position.
Chelsea’s best performer on the day. Electric in midfield, assisting the opener with a charge-down and working as hard as anyone.
Moises Caicedo 6
Not his finest outing in blue. Outshone by Fernandez but did plenty of running and pressed Brentford intently.
Pedro Neto 7
Lost the ball too many times but a bundle of energy and helped Chelsea progress up the pitch. Put it on a plate for Alejandro Garnacho, who fluffed his lines.
Cole Palmer 7
A quiet display, until he scored his first goal of 2026 from the penalty spot. Then found more space and was able to carry forward.
Alejandro Garnacho 5
Missed an absolute sitter in the first half and faded before being the first player subbed off.
Joao Pedro 7
Scored a fantastic strike off his weaker left foot in the first half, which set the Blues on their way to victory.
Subs:
Andrey Santos (Garnacho, 57’) 6
Found Palmer out on the right with a couple of nice passes. Contained well in midfield.
Wesley Fofana (Tosin, 58’) 6
Defensively strong when he came on following Tosin’s suspected injury.
Liam Delap (Joao Pedro, 74’) 5
Didn’t really get into the game in the 16 minutes he was on.
Jorrel Hato (Fernandez, 85’) N/A
Josh Acheampong (James, 85’) N/A
Not used: Jorgensen, Badiashile, George, Guiu
