Brentford produced a ruthless second half display at the Gtech Community Stadium on Friday night to beat Chelsea by three goals to nil, handing Xabi Alonso another difficult lesson in the demands of the Premier League and leaving the Blues without a win in three league games.

The first half offered little hint of what was coming. Chelsea were the sharper side early on, with Pedro Neto forcing a fine save from Caoimhin Kelleher and Morgan Rogers seeing a goalbound effort blocked. Alonso had made five changes, handing Jordan Henderson a Chelsea debut and giving first Premier League starts to Pep Chavarria, Valentin Barco and Danny Welbeck, while Maxence Lacroix also came into the side.

But the visitors could not turn control of the ball into a goal, and Brentford emerged after the interval with far more purpose.

The breakthrough arrived just after the hour, when Jaidon Anthony rose to head home from a corner. It was the fourth set piece goal Chelsea have conceded in five league games, and Brentford admitted afterwards that they had planned to attack the back post.

As Chelsea pushed for an equaliser, they were exposed on the counter. Kevin Schade was released and, after Emiliano Martinez saved his effort, Igor Thiago pounced on the rebound in the 83rd minute. Substitute Fabio Carvalho then tapped in from a Schade cross in added time to complete the rout and leave Chelsea with their first defeat at this ground.

The numbers underline how clinical the hosts were. Chelsea enjoyed about 60 percent of possession, yet Brentford created the better chances, finishing with an expected goals figure of 2.65 against 0.82. Defender Jannik Schuster earned the highest match rating on Sofascore.

Alonso did not hide his frustration. He said his players dropped their consistency and competitive mentality after the break, and that once the team lost its shape it was “out of control.” He also refused to lean on the absences of Reece James and Joao Pedro as an excuse.

The result leaves Chelsea on seven points from five games, after losing at Arsenal and drawing at home to Hull earlier this month. It also came on the day Clearlake Capital took full control of the club.

For Brentford manager Keith Andrews, the night was a validation of his team’s resilience, and he singled out Carvalho for praise after the forward marked his return from a serious knee injury with a second goal in two appearances. Chelsea will now wait until October 10 to respond, when Bournemouth visit Stamford Bridge after the international break.

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