Brentford 0 v Chelsea 0
Cards: 0
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Played Wednesday 19th October, 2022. Gtech Community Stadium, Attendance: 17,118.
Screened on Amazon Prime.
It hasn’t been a great week for managers so far. Last night Steven Gerrard was given the boot by Aston Villa, after a poor run of form, and losing 3-0 away at Fulham. And of course, Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned on Thursday, setting a rather unenviable record of only 45 days in office.
Amidst such high drama, the midweek, goalless, West London derby between Brentford and Chelsea understandably appeared somewhat tame. However, the bore draw score line belied a closely fought, and at times fleetingly electric contest, with several decent chances. On both sides the standout players were undoubtedly the keepers. In the first half, Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga made a couple of stunning saves to deny two sharp headers from Bees’ Ivan Toney. And in the closing minutes Brentford’s keeper David Raya produced a fine save to thwart a shot from Chelsea’s teenage substitute Carney Chukwuemeka. In all there were 22 shots taken and no cards shown, in what both managers Thomas Frank and Graham Potter agreed was a fairly earned point a piece. Perhaps not the most riveting score line, and certainly not the booming excitement that streaming service Amazon Prime would have banked on, but an intriguing encounter nonetheless.
Our next PLD is not until Sunday 6th November when West Ham take on Crystal Palace. By then Great Britain will surely have found a new manager. The bookies currently have Saint’s fan Rishi Sunak as clear favourite at evens, but there’s every chance, rested, post Caribbean holiday, Bojo will throw his hat back in the ring. Frankly, who knows. These are chaotic times, but sport remains a great source of entertainment, diversion and a place for unity. Let’s hope things straighten out soon.
Until next time, ‘stay safe’, and enjoy your football. Matthew at PLDs.