Soccer Football - Premier League - Chelsea v Brentford - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - January 17, 2026 Chelsea's Joao Pedro scores their first goal REUTERS/David Klein
LONDON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Chelsea beat London neighbours Brentford 2-0 on Saturday in the first Premier League match under coach Liam Rosenior thanks to a Joao Pedro strike and a Cole Palmer penalty, but they were let off the hook as the visitors wasted a string of chances.
After a run of nine league games with only one win – most of which was under former coach Enzo Maresca who left the club on January 1 – Chelsea managed only two attempts on target all game with Brentford on top for much of each half.
It was Chelsea who found the net, however, when Pedro turned and fired a bullet shot into the top corner of Caoimhin Kelleher's net in the 26th minute.
The Brazilian was initially ruled offside but the goal was given after a VAR check.
Palmer - returning after a brief injury absence - doubled Chelsea's lead from the penalty spot in the 76th minute after Kelleher failed to control the ball and, in his desperation to win it back, tripped substitute Liam Delap.
The win pushed Chelsea up to sixth in the table, leapfrogging Brentford who had been unbeaten in six league games.
For the visitors, Kevin Schade blew a great chance to open the scoring in the first half but attempted a pass instead and Mathias Jensen hit a post when in space at the far post.
Five minutes into the second half, Schade had an opportunity to make amends for his profligacy when he was put through on goal but his shot was diverted wide by the outstretched foot of the advancing Robert Sanchez.
CHELSEA PLAYERS SHOWED FIGHT, SAYS ROSENIOR
Rosenior said his players had shown fight and determination, rather than the flair he promised fans on his arrival at Chelsea from sister club Racing Strasbourg.
"It was going to be a real test for us and sometimes you have to win the game in different ways," he told reporters. "So for me, it's about winning. I've said that since I've come in. We don't play the free-flowing football that I want us to in the end, but we got the job done."
Chelsea won their first match under Rosenior 5-1 away at second-tier Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup last weekend before losing 3-2 at home against Arsenal in a League Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
The 41-year-old said Brazilian winger Estevao was not included in Saturday's squad after going down with a virus that has affected other players in recent days.
Brentford coach Keith Andrews said his side should have done better in front of goal.
"We just weren't clinical enough with the chances we had," he told the BBC. "We didn't give up anything at the other end. I'm proud of the performance levels. The growth of the team is there for everyone to see."
There were cheers of relief rather than celebration at the final whistle from the home fans, some of whom staged a protest outside Stamford Bridge before the game against Chelsea's U.S. private equity-led owners.
Their strategy of focusing on young players - with more than 1 billion pounds ($1.34 billion) spent since their takeover of the club in 2022 - has yet to turn into consistency on the pitch, frustrating many supporters.
($1 = 0.7473 pounds)
(Writing by William Schomberg, editing by Ed Osmond)
