Brentford Boss Keith Andrews Reflects on ‘Controlled’ Display as Liam Rosenior Explains Chelsea Performance

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior and Brentford manager Keith Andrews both gave their assessments following the Blues’ victory over Brentford on Saturday afternoon.

Chelsea secured a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge, taking the lead in the first half through João Pedro before Cole Palmer calmly converted a penalty with 14 minutes remaining to seal the result.

Brentford arrived in west London in strong form, but the victory saw Chelsea leapfrog the Bees in the table and move to within two points of fourth-placed Liverpool, who were held to a home draw by Burnley.

The match marked Rosenior’s first league fixture in charge of Chelsea and represented a significant early test given Brentford’s recent performances. While pleased with the result, Rosenior acknowledged that fully implementing his playing philosophy will take time.

Speaking after the match, the Chelsea boss revealed that illness within his squad had affected preparations and performance.

“It’s been running through the squad,” Rosenior said when asked about player absences. “There were a few — I won’t name them — but some players who featured today were struggling with chest problems and still put in a magnificent effort.

“Liam was ill, and yesterday Estevão had a temperature and a fever. We’ve had to be adaptable and adjust how we work. I felt that was one of the reasons we weren’t as good on the ball as we usually want to be, but the attitude of the group was outstanding.”

Rosenior admitted Chelsea did not play with the attacking fluency he ultimately wants but emphasised the importance of grinding out results.

“We didn’t play the free-flowing football I want us to in the end,” he added, “but we got the job done. That’s a really pleasing result and one that gives both the players and myself more confidence going forward.”

Andrews Feels Brentford Deserved More

Despite the defeat, Brentford head coach Keith Andrews felt his side were unfortunate not to come away with something from the contest.

“Sometimes football isn’t fair,” Andrews told BBC Sport. “Ultimately, you have to take your chances and control certain moments of the game better. But overall, our performance level today was very high.

“To come to Stamford Bridge — against a midfield that’s worth around £200 million — and control large parts of the game, I don’t see any confidence issues in our away form.”

Andrews dismissed concerns over Brentford’s performances on the road, insisting the broader picture remains encouraging.

“I know people often look at league form in very black-and-white terms — home versus away,” he said. “But if you follow us closely, you’ll see our performances away from home have generally been of a good standard. We won our last two away games and came here today and played very, very well.”