Brentford 2-2 Chelsea: Carvalho late show cancels out Palmer-inspired comeback
Cole Palmer scored on his return from injury, but Chelsea could not hold on as Brentford fought back to draw 2-2 on Saturday.
Fabio Carvalho came up with a last-gasp equaliser as Brentford pegged Chelsea back to a 2-2 draw in an enthralling west London derby.
Chelsea looked all set to take the three points away from the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday when Moises Caicedo thundered in from the edge of the box in the 85th minute.
Caicedo's brilliant strike saw Chelsea, who were well below par in the first half, complete the turnaround after Cole Palmer – making his return from injury as a substitute – had dragged the Blues level just after the hour, cancelling out Kevin Schade’s 35th-minute opener.
Palmer saw a golden chance for a second pass him by, while Pedro Neto was thwarted by Ethan Pinnock before Caicedo clattered in.
Yet just as Brentford appeared to be heading for a third defeat from their opening four Premier League matches, Keith Andrews' team came up with a leveller when substitute Carvalho bundled in from a long throw in the third minute of second-half stoppage time.
Chelsea, who face Bayern Munich in the Champions League next week, would have moved top of the early standings with a win, but instead sit in fifth with eight points from their opening four league games.
Data Debrief: Carvalho loves a late show
All six of the Premier League goals that former Liverpool attacker Carvalho has scored have been in the 75th minute or later, with each of his last four coming in or after the 89th minute.
It was a long throw that caused havoc for Chelsea's defence, and the Bees have now scored seven league goals directly from throw-ins since the start of last season, at least five more than any other team in the division.
While Enzo Maresca, who made three substitutes at half-time, such was the lacklustre nature of Chelsea's first-half display, will no doubt be frustrated at his team's defending, the Italian can at least take solace in the fact that Palmer is back from injury after missing the Blues' last two games.
Palmer's goal was his first in open play in the Premier League since January, while the England international has now netted 50 career goals in club football (44 for Chelsea, six for Manchester City). Despite only coming on in the 56th minute, the playmaker had more shots (five) than any other player.
