Brentford heap more misery on Frank Lampard's Chelsea

Chelsea sunk to yet another dispiriting home defeat as Brentford inflicted a fifth consecutive loss on Frank Lampard's side at Stamford Bridge.

The visitors led through Cesar Azpilicueta's first-half own goal when substitute Bryan Mbeumo ran half the length of the pitch, unchallenged by anybody in blue, to slam home and condemn the hosts to a sixth winless game in a row on this ground.

The numbers are worthy of the crisis in which Chelsea find themselves. The team have scored one goal in their last seven games, and are winless in eight.

Such have Chelsea’s ambitions receded that a top-half finish in the Premier League from this point would rank as a success, but even that abridged, constricted dream appears vanishingly unlikely after this.

Brentford did not need to be spectacular, merely to wait patiently whilst Chelsea passed the ball about aimlessly in front of them, then take their only two chances of the match when they came.

Chelsea began sluggishly and only got worse. Ben Chilwell drew perhaps the only ripple of anticipation from around Stamford Bridge during the first half with a powerful burst down the left, taking the ball on after a clever first-time pass from Conor Gallagher.

His low cross was intercepted, and the only sniff of attacking intent from either side inside the first 20 minutes evaporated without threat.

Brentford had not won in six games, Chelsea not in seven, and so it was not a surprise to find both teams short on ideas of how to break the other down.

N’Golo Kante, again playing in an advanced midfield role alongside Gallagher, appeared on the right touchline as Chelsea sought a way through, bending over an inviting cross.

Up from the back and free inside the box was Thiago Silva, but his header into the