Enzo Maresca’s calculated gamble did not come off. Chelsea’s head coach turned into the Tinkerman, benching Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto and Nicolas Jackson in an attempt to keep his best forwards fresh for the run-in, but his side’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were dented by their failure to summon any attacking inspiration before it was too late.
In fairness a goalless draw against highly motivated opponents may not prove to be the worst result in the final reckoning. Brentford, who were punchy for long spells and resilient when they had to defend, had enough chances to end an eight-match winless run at home. There were some good saves from Robert Sánchez and Maresca probably would have faced a tougher inquest had Sepp van den Berg not missed a gimme of a header during the dying stages.
