Brentford stun Xabi Alonso's Chelsea as Joao Pedro and Reece James miss out
Brentford beat Xabi Alonso's Chelsea 1-0 in the Premier League, with Jaidon Anthony scoring the winner, while Chelsea were missing injured stars Joao Pedro and Reece James and handed debuts to several new faces.
Late header settles Friday night clash
In the Premier League's Friday night fixture, Brentford beat Chelsea 1-0 at Gtech Community Stadium under new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso. The only goal came in the 61st minute from Jaidon Anthony, who headed home after Mikkel Damsgaard's cross was flicked on by Jannick Schuster.
No Joao Pedro or Reece James
Ahead of the match, Alonso told his pre-match press conference that no player had been ruled out and that a final decision would be made after the last training session. In the end, however, striker Joao Pedro — the Premier League's Player of the Month for August with three goals and three assists this season — did not make the squad. According to Sports Illustrated, citing ESPN, Pedro is dealing with a bone edema in his knee caused by a sprained ACL and could be sidelined for around three and a half weeks. Danny Welbeck started in his place.
Captain Reece James was also absent after missing training on Tuesday. England manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed James was left out of the Three Lions' Nations League squad through injury, with Trent Alexander-Arnold called up instead. Midfielder Moisés Caicedo and defender Marco Palestra were also unavailable.
Five changes, several debuts
Alonso made five changes from last weekend's 2-2 draw with Hull City. Pep Chavarria and Valentín Barco made their first Premier League starts, while Jordan Henderson made his Chelsea debut — against former club Brentford, where he played last season — alongside Maxence Lacroix. Sixteen-year-old Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli was named among the substitutes for the first time in a competitive fixture.
Context
Brentford went into the game unbeaten this season, having won their opener and drawn three since. Chelsea, according to SI, sat sixth in the table, just one point above seventh-placed Brentford. Andrew Madley took charge as referee. Alonso also used his press conference to discuss the club's ownership change, after Todd Boehly and Mark Walter sold their stakes to majority owner Clearlake Capital, calling it 'an important day for the club.'
