Carvalho’s stoppage-time touch rescues Brentford as Chelsea’s bench turns the tide then stalls

Fabio Carvalho tapped in a 93rd‑minute equaliser from a Kevin Schade long throw to seal a pulsating 2-2 London derby, snatching Brentford a point just when Chelsea’s late surge looked decisive. Introduced moments earlier, the 23‑year‑old ghosted to the back post and finished unmarked, cancelling out Moises Caicedo’s thumping 85th‑minute strike that had appeared to complete a Chelsea comeback.

The night belonged to the benches. Cole Palmer, eased back after injury, volleyed Chelsea level five minutes after coming on, sparking a second‑half revival after an anaemic opening. Yet Keith Andrews’ Brentford never stopped believing, leaning on an old, unapologetic weapon: the long throw. In the end, the set‑piece craft the Bees cultivate returned the final word.

Brentford strike first, Chelsea reshuffle

Brentford earned their interval lead with a classic transition. In the 35th minute Jordan Henderson, drafted to provide leadership and quality, picked an inch‑perfect forward pass that released Kevin Schade. The forward’s pace shredded the space behind and he finished coolly past Robert Sánchez to give the hosts a deserved 1-0 advantage.

Enzo Maresca’s selection had been a calculated risk. With Champions League commitments looming and fitness to manage, Wesley Fofana started at right‑back and Jorrel Hato on the left, while Facundo Buonanotte was handed the No 10 role despite limited sharpness. Chelsea mustered only one shot on target before the break and the head coach responded with a triple change at half‑time, sending on Reece James, Marc Cucurella and Tyrique George. “We knew it was a tough game… in the first half we struggled to find solutions,” Maresca admitted, adding that minutes for Fofana and Hato were planned.

Palmer’s return flips the tempo

Within five minutes of entering on 56 minutes, Palmer swept in a first‑time volley to level the game, vindicating Maresca’s decision to hold him back until the second half. The visitors suddenly carried threat from all angles, James and Cucurella injecting thrust down the flanks while the returning playmaker found gaps between the lines.

There were chances for Palmer to add to his tally, only for Caoimhin Kelleher to underline an outstanding performance with strong stops, and some late rustiness betrayed itself in a scuffed effort after Brentford’s equaliser. Chelsea’s bench kept piling on with a debut for new signing Alejandro Garnacho, who quickly helped tee up Caicedo to rifle a shot from the edge of the area beyond Kelleher in the 85th minute.

Chaos by design: the long‑throw route

Andrews’ Brentford stayed on brand. Across the night Chelsea were forced to defend a procession of long throws, a deliberate ploy that the new head coach, formerly the set‑piece guru, openly embraces. “It’s a useful tool,” he said. “Any coach should look to find advantages… I felt there’s a little bit of snobbery in the game around scenarios like that, but if the big boys now do it then it seems to be accepted.”

Maresca acknowledged the danger, noting Brentford have multiple exponents capable of delivering into the six‑yard box with ease. The final act proved him right: in added time Schade launched another howitzer, the flicks and ricochets sowed confusion and Carvalho drifted behind debutant Garnacho to tap in at the back post. As the scorer put it, Brentford are “big on set‑pieces” and work relentlessly on those moments.

Resilience and the road ahead

Even after Caicedo’s piledriver, Brentford refused to fade. Sánchez was soon called into a scrambling save as the hosts pushed back, while Yehor Yarmoliuk ably shared the midfield burden alongside the combative Henderson, whom Andrews hailed as an “ultimate competitor” who relishes the battle.

For Chelsea, the lesson was as clear as the schedule ahead is unforgiving: mastering rotation and late‑game management must become second nature with Bayern Munich visiting in midweek and a trip to Manchester United to follow. “It’s a shame because we conceded in the 93rd minute and we could manage better that moment,” Maresca said. Brentford, for their part, left with tangible proof that their spirit and set‑piece smarts remain a match for anyone.