Fabio Carvalho was Brentford’s derby hero as he came off the bench to score a stoppage-time equaliser in a thrilling 2-2 draw with Chelsea.
The Blues looked set to take the points and move top of the Premier League standings for Saturday night after Moises Caicedo thundered in from the edge of the box in the 85th minute.
Cole Palmer – making his return from injury – had dragged his side level just after the hour, cancelling out Kevin Schade’s 35th-minute opener. It was the Chelsea talisman's first goal since a penalty against Liverpool in May, and his first from open play since January.
Yet just as it seemed as if Caicedo had broken Brentford's hearts, Keith Andrews’ team came up with a leveller when substitute Carvalho bundled in from a long throw-in, in the third minute of stoppage time.
Carvalho’s late show means Chelsea now sit in fifth instead of first, while Brentford are 12th with four points from their four games.
How the match unfolded
Chelsea were punished for some lethargic first-half play when, 10 minutes before half-time, Schade raced onto Jordan Henderson’s searching pass, squared up Tosin Adarabioyo and picked out the bottom-right corner.
Jamie Gittens’ hopeful attempt in the 43rd minute marked Chelsea’s first shot on target, while an Enzo Fernandez corner clattered the outside of the woodwork, but Enzo Maresca had seen enough.
He made three changes for the start of the second half, to inject some impetus, and two of those substitutes – Tyrique George and then Marc Cucurella – drew saves out of Caoimhin Kelleher. However, it was Chelsea’s fourth alteration that made the difference as Palmer swept home from Joao Pedro’s knockdown in the 61st minute.
Robert Sanchez denied Schade a second goal soon after, before Pedro Neto raced through and teed up Palmer in the 75th minute, only for Kelleher to make a fine save.
Kelleher, though, could do nothing as Caicedo’s venomous strike flew past him into the Brentford.
Yet there was to be one more twist, as just three minutes after his introduction, Carvalho scrambled the ball home after a long throw-in caused havoc in Chelsea’s area.
Henderson shows his class as Carvalho provides a sting
Henderson may have thought his Premier League days were behind him when he left Liverpool for the Saudi Pro League, and then headed for Ajax.
But he got his comeback shot with Brentford in the close season, as a de facto replacement for Christian Norgaard, who departed for Arsenal.
Henderson remains a regular in Thomas Tuchel's England squad, and while his peak may have passed, the 35-year-old demonstrated his quality here.
The midfielder’s ball for Schade’s opener was excellent, and reminiscent of the passes he used to play for the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah during his Liverpool pomp.
Schade still had plenty of work to do, but his fine finish rewarded Henderson’s vision and execution from deep.
Yet with Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo having left, and club-record signing Dango Ouattara on the bench, there was a lack of firepower when Brentford had the chance to put their foot on the gas.
However, just as all seemed lost, Carvalho was in the right place at the right time to ensure there was a sting in the tail.
After a difficult summer, Brentford can take solace in an unbeaten start at the Gtech Community Stadium, and they next host Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup, before another west-London derby in the league – this time against Fulham – next weekend.
Palmer as cold as ice but Chelsea found wanting
Palmer had been on the field just five minutes and 12 seconds when he got on the end of Joao Pedro’s header, and that touch of class had certainly been missing for Chelsea in the first half.
Maresca did not seem happy as he headed in for half-time, and the proof was in the pudding as he turned to his bench – bringing on Cucurella, George and captain Reece James. Jorrel Hato, Wesley Fofana and debutant Facundo Buonanotte were the players to make way.
At first, it did not seem as though those changes had the desired impact. Only a last-ditch Trevoh Chalobah challenge prevented Igor Thiago from getting through on goal, while Chelsea’s entire team soon switched off from a free-kick, though they got away with it.
However, Palmer swung the momentum in his team’s favour, as world-class talents tend to do. His goal was his first in open play in the Premier League since January, though he finished in typically cool fashion.
Neto became increasingly effective down the right as the match wore on, and Caicedo’s moment of magic looked like it would be enough.
However, Chelsea never looked safe at the back, and Brentford’s equaliser will serve as a reminder of what they must improve on, especially if they are to get positive results from their next two games, with trips to Bayern Munich and Manchester United coming up.
Club reports
Brentford report | Chelsea report
What the managers said
Keith Andrews: "Delighted with the approach of the group, the character we constantly show. The equaliser came very late but it's what I felt we deserved from the game in terms of the application, the quality the players showed for large parts. Inevitably they're going to have periods where they're on top but I felt we dealt with a lot of that really well tonight."
Enzo Maresca: "It's a shame [to concede late] but it happens. Probably we could manage that moment of the game better but in the end we concede and lose two points.
"We try to win every game but know we won't win every game. It's a shame because we conceded so late."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
All six of the Premier League goals that Carvalho has scored have been in the 75th minute or later, with each of his last four coming in the 89th minute or later.
Palmer netted his first-ever Premier League goal against Brentford (in his sixth meeting with them), with what was his 22nd shot against the Bees. His equaliser was his first open-play goal in the league since January against AFC Bournemouth.
Joao Pedro has been directly involved in five goals in four Premier League games for Chelsea (two goals, three assists), while the only player to reach five goal involvements in fewer games for the Blues in the competition is Eden Hazard (three games).
Carvalho’s equaliser was the seventh Premier League goal Brentford have scored from a throw-in since the start of last season, at least five more than any other side.