Chelsea came to west London with a plan to dominate – and they did just about everything right… except score. A chaotic, xG-fuelled draw at the Gtech saw Chelsea fire 21 shots without a goal, while Brentford held firm and earned their clean sheet the hard way. On the surface, it’s a goalless draw – under the hood, it was anything but boring.

Stat Breakdown

Chelsea: 57% possession, 25 progressive runs, 30 touches in the box, 11 shots from inside the area, xG 1.733

Brentford: 43% possession, 14 progressive runs, 20 touches in the box, 6 shots from inside the area, xG 1.2

Total shots: Chelsea 21 – Brentford 9

Shots on target: Chelsea 5 – Brentford 2

Match Momentum: A slow burn to Chelsea control

Momentum-wise, it was all Chelsea from the 30th minute onward. After a balanced start, the Blues began carving through Brentford’s shape, steadily building xG and dominating territory. The graph shows clear pressure applied throughout the second half – they just couldn’t land the knockout blow.

Brentford’s moments came early and briefly in the second half, but their momentum fizzled as the game wore on and they dropped deeper.

Shot Chaos: Blues with the volume, Bees with the stingy block

Chelsea racked up an eye-watering 21 shots, with 9 going wide and 7 being blocked, for an xG of 1.73. That’s an attacking performance that deserved more, but finishing let them down. The shot map tells the tale: plenty of activity just outside the box, but very little with real teeth. Chelsea had 5 shots on target (xG 0.33) but couldn’t make them count.

Brentford, more selective with their chances, ended with 9 total shots, only 2 on target, and an xG of 1.2 – boosted by a couple of close-range attempts. Despite the low volume, their chances had promise, but not enough to beat Sánchez.

Possession Tactics: Controlled chaos vs. conservative compactness

Chelsea’s pass map shows a controlled possession style anchored by Caicedo and Fernández in the pivot and supported by fullback rotations from Gusto and James. Nkunku, playing centrally, looked to link and turn, but often lacked the final ball.

Brentford, meanwhile, were direct. Their pass map reveals a compact block built around Nørgaard and Yarmoliuk, with wide outlets like Mbeumo and Lewis-Potter offering counters. It wasn’t pretty, but it was organized—and it worked.

Final Word

Chelsea may feel hard done by, but this was a Brentford performance straight out of the Bees’ playbook – disciplined, defiant, and difficult to beat. For all the shot data, xG edges, and midfield mastery, the scoreline reads 0-0. The Blues left buzzing with frustration; Brentford left with a point and a perfectly executed plan.