Snappy FRANK AND FANS Birthday
CHELSEA fans turned on Mauricio Pochettino and Todd Boehly as the billion-pound bottle jobs surrendered a half-time lead at Brentford before rescuing a late point through Axel Disasi.
Yet the Frenchman’s leveller failed to spare the Argentine’s blushes on his birthday as the travelling faithful belted out “f*** off Mauricio” before singing “Jose Mourinho” and additional expletives about club chairman Boehly.
The Blues were in control at the break after Nicolas Jackson’s opener and this was the kind of second-half collapse that made you question why Gary Neville felt the need to justify his iconic Wembley punchline.
Chelsea have now won just one of their six Premier League meetings against Brentford, and that just about typifies their struggles under the dual ownership of Boehly and Behdad Eghbali since their arrival in September 2022.
Brentford looked destined to break the deadlock as Ivan Toney saw a thumping side-foot volley blocked by Levi Colwill at the back post.
Yoane Wissa also went close on two separate occasions before Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic suffered a major scare when he nearly carried the ball outside of his penalty box after collecting a long pass.
But it was the under-pressure Blues that struck first when Jackson buried Malo Gusto’s cross with a well-placed, powerful header on 35 minutes.
Jackson had been the subject of mockery from Bees’ supporters after he ruined a dangerous Chelsea counter-attack with some comically scruffy stepovers before he later rounded Mark Flekken – only to have Mathias Jorgensen clear off the line.
Thomas Frank’s brave injury-hit Bees – missing their four first-choice defenders – hit back shortly after the interval through an unlikely source in wing-back Mads Roerslev.
Toney launched a looping cross into the box, Gusto and Disasi hesitated while Sergio Reguilon was sharp to the ball before Moises Caicedo’s tackle fell kindly to Roerslev to steer home.
Vitaly Janelt then struck the post before Chelsea squandered a glorious opportunity to restore the lead.
They were four-on-one when Gusto squared to Cole Palmer, who somehow missed with the tamest of efforts.
Pochettino, who had dropped
Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk, turned away in disbelief, placing his head in his hands.
Brentford then went in front on 69 minutes when Wissa dispatched a sublime overhead kick as Chelsea failed to clear their lines.
The visitors were all at sea as the
Bees forced themselves ahead, although Pochettino’s men would have the final say through Disasi who powered home Palmer’s cross at the back stick.
The celebrations looked as though it meant an awful lot to Chelsea’s players but it means precious little in the context of their season as a whole and as under-pressure Pochettino clings desperately on to his job for dear life.