Despite their new US owners' enormous investment in players, the defeat left toothless Chelsea in 11th place in the Premier League standings and sliding towards perhaps their worst season since the 1993/94 campaign, when they finished 14th under Glenn Hoddle. After 37 minutes, and before the visitors had even managed to have a chance on goal of their own, Brentford took the lead when defender Mathias Jorgensen headed in a corner at the near post, where the ball struck Azpilicueta and went in.

Mykhailo Mudryk and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were introduced by Lampard, Chelsea's third coach this season after Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter were dismissed, at halftime in an effort to break the London club's goal drought, which has now seen them score just one in seven games across all competitions.