A young and inexperienced Chelsea team overcame a resilient Brentford side to reach the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup with two late goals courtesy of an own goal from Pontus Jannsen and a penalty from Jorginho. During the first half, Brentford had by far the better chances and could have even been two goals up if it was not for Chelsea’s Spanish goalkeeper Kepa. He kept the visitors in the game by saving two headers from close range.
After Thomas Tuchel made changes during the halftime, that is what seemed to have changed the complexion of the game as Chelsea started to create more chances and felt more in control. But the breakthrough came late as Reece James’s cross was turned in his own net by Pontus Jannsen and shortly after Christian Pulisic won a penalty which was converted by Jorginho to secure the clubs’ place in the semi-final round of the Carabao Cup.
Here is how each Chelsea player fared against a resilient Brentford side:
Kepa Arrizabalaga (Goalkeeper): 8/10
Just like in the previous two fixtures of the Carabao Cup, Kepa was the Man of the Match as his two saves from very close range kept Chelsea in the game. The Spaniard looked fantastic in the first half and the second half was very composed and comfortable till the end.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Centerback): 7.5/10
With people talking about the lack of pace in Cesar Azpilicueta’s armory, it was clear as air today that Spaniard’s ability to read the game puts him one step ahead of the attackers. With him being one of many Chelsea defenders whose contracts are running out in the summer, some regular game time will be enough to show how badly the Blues need to keep him.
Trevoh Chalobah (Centerback): 7.5/10
Trevoh Chalobah playing like the middle of the three defenders showed maturity beyond his age and excellent defensive awareness with the likes of Mbuemo and Wissa running towards him. Seeing the performances of Chalobah match after the match it is clear that he will be a part of the team for many years to come.
Malang Sarr (Centerback): 6/10
Malang Sarr playing in place of Antonio Rudiger had a good game but it feels that the young French defender lacks confidence and feels like a blunder to happen any minute. The centerback was the weakest link in the defense throughout the game. Even though time is on his side it seems that he might never make it at Chelsea as a regular first-team player.
Xavier Simon (Right Wingback): 6.5/10
The young wingback Xavier Simon was the third academy player in the starting lineup to make his debut. The youngster selected ahead of Reece James had a very mixed game but played well enough to prevent Brentford attackers from scoring a goal. There are certainly quite a few things to improve for the 18-year-old but all in all it was a good experience to have for him. He was replaced by Reece James in the 64th minute.
Mateo Kovacic (Central Midfield): 7/10
Seeing what Thomas Tuchel did after halftime made sure that Mateo Kovacic only started today’s game to get much-needed game time to regain match fitness and sharpness. Throughout his game, Kovacic kept the game ticking and even created a key pass. He was replaced by Jorginho in the 45th minute.
Saul Niguez (Central Midfield): 7.5/10
Saul Niguez’s recent change from playing as a deep-lying playmaker seems to have suited them best. This was another good performance by the loanee from Atletico Madrid, showing more fights throughout the game than he has ever shown before.
Marcos Alonso (Left Wingback): 7/10
Marcos Alonso had a pretty bad first half, giving away possession and in the attacking half played less impressive crosses which didn’t help the likes of Jude Soonsup Bell and Harvey Vale. As the game went on, the Spanish wingback looked tired and was targeted by the Brentford attackers. Chelsea might as well have to dip in the transfer market for another wingback.
Ross Barkley (Attacking Midfielder): 6.5/10
Ross Barkley was by far the busiest player in the final third of the field taking a grand total of five attempts on goal out of which only two were on target. Being the senior figure on the field today amongst the youngsters, Barkley’s performance didn’t impress much as he kept misplacing passes and sometimes got himself in pressure situations. But one thing no one can say against the English attacker was his very good work rate. He was replaced by N’Golo Kante in the 75th minute.
Jude Soonsup Bell (Striker): 6/10
With all the striker options out with Covid related issues, Jude Soonsup Bell got the chance to make his Chelsea debut. But for the 17-year-old this was not an ideal debut as he was comfortably dealt with by the Brentford defenders. Apart from a couple of good link-up plays with Harvey Vale, the youngster could not influence the game much and was taken off at halftime.
Harvey Vale (Striker): 6.5/10
Another highly-rated academy player to be called into the first team was Harvey Vale. The 18-year-old was a bright spark in the first half, playing one-touch passes and linking up play with the likes of Ross Barkley and Jude Soonsup Bell. The youngster should have had a goal to his name but the Englishman headed straight to the goalkeeper. He was replaced by Mason Mount in the 65th minute.
Jorginho (Central Midfielder, substitute): 7/10
Jorginho came on in place of Mateo Kovacic at halftime and did well to completely control the game from the midfield. The Italian midfielder slotted home the penalty to fully secure Chelsea’s place in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Christian Pulisic (Striker, substitute): 7/10
Christian Pulisic replaced Jude Soonsup Bell at halftime and for the majority of the second half was completely anonymous right until the end when he was brought down by the Brentford goalkeeper in the final minutes of the game.
Reece James (Right Wingback, substitute): 7/10
Reece James came on in place of Xavier Simon and was a constant threat from the right side. It was his cross that was put in his own goal by Jannsen. Brought in some much-needed attacking threat to the team.
Mason Mount (Right Winger, substitute): 6/10
Mason Mount came on for Harvey Vale in the 65th minute and didn’t have much impact on the game but brought in some energy and sharpness to the play.
N’Golo Kante (Central Midfielder, substitute): N/A
N’Golo Kante came on for Ross Barkley in the 75th minute and didn’t have much time to impact the game.
How do you think the players did? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!