Brentford vs Chelsea LIVE: Carabao Cup result, final score and reaction tonight
Follow all the action as Brentford host Chelsea in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals tonight.
The Bees will be playing their first match in almost two weeks after their squad was hit heavily by a Covid outbreak, causing their fixtures against Manchester United and Southampton to be postponed. The likes of Ivan Toney and Ethan Pinnock are now available for selection again, although they remain short on match fitness.
Chelsea, however, are still hampered by a host of absences due to injury and illness, with up to as many as nine first-team players unavailable. Thomas Tuchel, who was left infuriated after the Premier League rejected Chelsea’s request to postpone their fixture against Wolves last weekend, has called up a number of academy players to fill the gaps in their squad and is likely to field a heavily rotated side. The head coach will want to avoid the pressure of another disappointing performance and result, though, with the Blues now six points adrift of leaders Manchester City in the Premier League after just one win from their last four matches. Follow all the latest updates below:
Brentford vs Chelsea
Liverpool vs Leicester; Tottenham vs West Ham complete last-eight ties
80 mins: Jansson diverts James cross into own net to give Chelsea the lead
86 mins: Jorginho scores from the spot after Fernandez trips Pulisic
Full-time: Brentford 0-2 Chelsea
21:37 , Alex Pattle
Chelsea progress to the semi-finals!
A valiant effort from Brentford, who only slipped up late on as Tuchel brought on reinforcements.
Brentford 0-2 Chelsea
21:34 , Alex Pattle
90 mins: Three minutes added time to come.
GOAL: Brentford 0-2 Chelsea
21:29 , Alex Pattle
86 mins: Jorginho slots his penalty down the middle as Fernandez dives to his right!
That doubles the Blues’ lead.
Brentford 0-1 Chelsea
21:28 , Alex Pattle
84 mins: Penalty to Chelsea!
Pulisic bears down on the ball in the Brentford box and he's tripped by Fernandez!
Brentford 0-1 Chelsea
21:27 , Alex Pattle
83 mins: Marcus Forss replaced Jensen a couple of moments ago.
GOAL: Brentford 0-1 Chelsea
21:25 , Alex Pattle
80 mins: GOAL!
Lovely footwork from Kante before he feeds the ball to James, whose wicked low cross from the right is diverted into the Brentford net by Jansson...
The own goal has Chelsea ahead in the final 10 minutes!
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
21:23 , Alex Pattle
77 mins: A final change for Chelsea as N’Golo Kante replaces Barkley.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
21:22 , Alex Pattle
77 mins: Saul goes into the book for a trip on Jensen.
Just over 10 minutes left and the scores are still even.
Will either side break the deadlock in normal time?
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
21:17 , Alex Pattle
73 mins: Brentford make another change as Baptiste makes way for Frank Onyeka.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
21:15 , Alex Pattle
71 mins: Fernandez gives up a spell of Brentford possession by kicking long, straight to the Blues’ midfield.
Kepa soon returns the favour...
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
21:12 , Alex Pattle
68 mins: Double-chance!
James’ powerful free-kick from out wide is palmed straight up in the air by Fernandez, with the ball falling for Barkley, who drives a low shot towards goal...
It’s deflected wide for a Chelsea corner. Nothing comes of this set-piece, but Chelsea remain in possession for now.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
21:09 , Alex Pattle
64 mins: Chelsea are still struggling to break down Brentford, and Tuchel will make more changes.
Mount replaces Vale, and James comes on for Simons. All three Chelsea debutants have now been substituted.
For Brentford: Ivan Toney replaces Wissa, and Norgaard comes on for Janelt.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
21:04 , Alex Pattle
59 mins: The Brentford free-kick is headed away.
Chelsea soon break, with Jorginho at the centre of the move.
He picks out Barkley in the hosts’ box, but Brentford crowd him out and the attack dissipates.
Frank’s side counter, and Mbeumo is just about beaten to a through ball, as Kepa slides to collect it.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
21:02 , Alex Pattle
57 mins: Henry earns Brentford a corner on the left.
Jensen will take it, and he plays it short to kickstart a training-ground routine...
It culminates in a cross that Kepa comes a long way to claim, managing to punch it clear.
Brentford remain on the ball outside the Chelsea box, though, and win a free-kick in a dangerous position.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:59 , Alex Pattle
55 mins: Alonso with a similar cross to Saul’s from moments ago...
Barkley slides in but can’t direct the ball past Fernandez!
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:59 , Alex Pattle
55 mins: Alonso with a similar cross to Saul’s from moments ago...
Barkley slides in but can’t direct the ball past Fernandez!
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:57 , Alex Pattle
53 mins: SAVE!
A bouncing Saul cross goes all the way through and hits Henry, forcing Fernandez to get down quickly and palm the ball away from the bottom corner of his net!
Nearly an own goal...
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:55 , Alex Pattle
50 mins: Pulisic has looked lively since coming on and has exhibited some neat footwork.
He’s at the centre of a Chelsea attack, but it comes to nothing and Brentford have a goal kick.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:52 , Alex Pattle
47 mins: Brentford are all over Chelsea after a Blues goal kick, and Barkley almost loses possession on the edge of his box for the second time this evening...
A foul is given in his favour, however.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:49 , Alex Pattle
46 mins: We’re back under way!
Two changes for Chelsea at the break: Kovacic and Soonsup-Bell are replaced by Jorginho and Christian Pulisic.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:44 , Alex Pattle
The second half is nearly upon us. Here are the other scores at half-time:
Liverpool 1-3 Leicester.
Tottenham 2-1 West Ham.
A reminder that Arsenal progressed to the semi-finals last night by thrashing Sunderland 5-1.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:31 , Alex Pattle
Half-time: It’s 0-0 at the break.
Brentford made the better chances early on, but Chelsea grew into the game.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:30 , Alex Pattle
43 mins: Chance for Chelsea!
Azpilicueta sends in a cross from deep, and it finds the unmarked Vale...
It’s a great chance, but he heads the ball low into Fernandez’s gloves!
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:27 , Alex Pattle
41 mins: A long ball over the top finds Henry, who surges towards goal...
A last-ditch challenge puts him off slightly and his shot is saved by Kepa.
The resultant Brentford corner amounts to nothing.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:26 , Alex Pattle
39 mins: Alonso has been one of Chelsea’s best outlets and he goes on a tidy run in the Brentford box.
He slips a pass to his right, where Barkley receives it and fires off a long-range shot...
Fernandez holds it with ease, though.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:23 , Alex Pattle
36 mins: Vale has been lively for Chelsea on his first-team debut, and he uses neat footwork to get off a shot that results in a corner.
It goes deep and is headed back across the box for Chalobah to try an overhead kick, which is somewhat tame and easily held by Fernandez.
Brentford break and look threatening, but Baptiste is dispossessed at the last moment.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:18 , Alex Pattle
32 mins: Save!
Again Kepa is called into action, again denying a header!
This time it’s an attempt by Jensen that is palmed away by the Chelsea keeper.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:16 , Alex Pattle
30 mins: Vale finds himself on the ball in the Brentford box and slides a pass to Alonso, who is barged over.
The Chelsea man was never fully in control of the ball, however, and no penalty is given.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:15 , Alex Pattle
27 mins: Close!
Jensen’s corner goes very high and deep, and it’s met with a half-volley that goes narrowly over.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:12 , Alex Pattle
25 mins: Another Alonso cross...
This time Fernandez tries to punch it clear, but his effort only sends the ball to Azpilicueta outside the Brentford box.
The defender rifles a shot well over the bar.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:08 , Alex Pattle
21 mins: Chalobah takes too long to clear the ball after Barkley loses possession on the edge of the Chelsea box.
The defender’s attempted clearance hits his nearest opponent and flies out for a Blues goal kick.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:06 , Alex Pattle
19 mins: Kovacic sends a pass out to the left corner for Alonso to chase, and the left-back digs out a cross.
It’s looping and eventually reaches Vale, who’s not quite tall enough to direct his header properly.
Fernandez catches it with ease.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
20:03 , Alex Pattle
16 mins: Terrific footwork from Wissa as he bears down on the Chelsea box before slipping a pass to Janelt on his left.
The Brentford attack peters out after a poor cross, though, and Chelsea counter...
Their own cross reaches Barkley, who skews a half-volley wide.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
19:58 , Alex Pattle
11 mins: CHANCE!
Henry makes a searing run up the left flank and crosses for Mbeumo...
His close-range header is saved by Kepa in the Chelsea goal!
A great stop, but the Brentford striker had to do better!
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
19:55 , Alex Pattle
9 mins: A clever pass by Vale splits the Brentford defence and sets up Alonso for a cross from the left, but it’s intercepted.
Brentford go long as they look to break, but Mbeumo can’t capitalise; Chelsea win back the ball and Kovacic and Alonso combine on the left.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
19:53 , Alex Pattle
7 mins: Chelsea waste a throw-in deep in Brentford’s half, but the hosts then follow suit.
Chelsea look to work an opening on the left flank but end up switching play to the right.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
19:50 , Alex Pattle
4 mins: Chalobah tries a long ball over the top, but Havertz can’t get to it before Fernandez in the Brentford goal.
The hosts’ subsequent possession is short-lived, and Chelsea are back on the ball.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
19:48 , Alex Pattle
2 mins: Chelsea with the early possession, recirculating the ball amid cautious Brentford pressure.
Brentford 0-0 Chelsea
19:45 , Alex Pattle
KICK-OFF! We’re under way!
Brentford host Chelsea in Carabao Cup quarter-finals
19:43 , Alex Pattle
We’re moments away from kick-off...
Brentford host Chelsea in Carabao Cup quarter-finals
19:35 , Alex Pattle
Here’s all you need to know about the Carabao Cup semi-final draw later this evening:
When is the Carabao Cup semi-final draw?
Brentford host Chelsea in Carabao Cup quarter-finals
19:22 , Alex Pattle
As Premier League clubs continue to come to grips with Covid-19 and a fixture backlog, progress in the Carabao Cup may not be in everyone’s best interest, writes Jamie Braidwood:
Welcome to the Carabao Cup, where winners lose and losers win
Brentford host Chelsea in Carabao Cup quarter-finals
19:13 , Alex Pattle
Thomas Tuchel must rediscover his golden touch if Chelsea are to avoid a bleak midwinter, writes Richard Jolly:
“This has been Tuchel’s worst month in charge of Chelsea. In itself, that reflects the success of going from 10th to 4th last season and then leading the league this, of conjuring a Champions League win from a side who started 2021 in a nosedive. By drawing 0-0 with Wolves, Tuchel came full circle: He got the same result in his Chelsea bow. In January, he unveiled a 3-4-3 formation he devised on the plane, forging Europe’s most frugal defence in an brilliant example of problem-solving.”
Full article here:
Thomas Tuchel must rediscover golden touch if Chelsea are to avoid bleak midwinter
Brentford host Chelsea in Carabao Cup quarter-finals
19:04 , Alex Pattle
So, there are Chelsea first-team debuts for Harvey Vale, Xavier Simons and Jude Soonsup-Bell.
Elsewhere, it’s still a pretty strong team to be sent out by Tuchel.
Confirmed line-ups
18:47 , Alex Pattle
Chelsea XI: Kepa, Simons, Chalobah, Sarr, Azpilicueta, Kovacic, Saul, Alonso, Barkley, Soonsup-Bell, Vale
Confirmed line-ups
18:46 , Alex Pattle
Brentford XI: Fernandez, Bech, Jansson, Pinnock, Canos, Baptiste, Jensen, Janelt, Henry, Wissa, Mbeumo
Brentford host Chelsea in Carabao Cup quarter-finals
18:39 , Alex Pattle
Brentford have not played in two weeks due to Covid-related match postponements amid their own outbreak, and they are without a number of injured players.
Similarly, Chelsea are expected to be without as many as nine first-team players due to injury and illness, and coach Thomas Tuchel may have to rely on academy players to help get through this tie.
Here are our predicted line-ups:
Brentford: Fernandez; Goode, Jansson, Thompson; Roerslev, Ghoddos, Bidstrup, Jensen, Fosu-Henry; Toney, Forss.
Chelsea: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Sarr; James, Saul, Kovacic, Alonso; Mount, Barkley; Havertz.
Brentford host Chelsea in Carabao Cup quarter-finals
18:29 , Alex Pattle
As well as Chelsea’s trip to Brentford this evening, there will be quarter-final meetings between Liverpool and Leicester, and Tottenham and West Ham.
Last night, Arsenal thrashed Sunderland 5-1 to book their spot in the semi-finals, the draw for which will take place after tonight’s games.
Brentford host Chelsea in Carabao Cup quarter-finals
15:25 , Tom Kershaw
Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage as Brentford host Chelsea in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Brentford will be playing for the first time in twelve days after their last two Premier League fixtures were cancelled due to Covid breaks. Despite that, Thomas Frank has a relatively full squad available, with star man Ivan Toney in contention to start after recovering from Covid-19.
The same cannot be said for Chelsea, though, whose disappointing form has been compounded by a host of absences due to injury and illness. The likes of Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi are expected to miss out once again after testing positive, while there are doubts over the fitness of several senior players amid such a congested run of matches. Tuchel was left furious after the Premier League rejected Chelsea’s request to postpone their game against Wolves last weekend, and a frustrating draw saw his side concede yet more ground in the title race. Although the Carabao Cup won’t rank high up on the Blues’ list of priorities, they will certainly want to end a run of just one victory in their last five games in all competitions.
