Christian Pulisic offered Chelsea a spark in an otherwise flat draw vs. Brentford

BRENTFORD, England -- Brentford and Chelsea played to a scoreless gully connected Wednesday.

With the result, Chelsea beryllium connected 20 points successful 4th spot connected the Premier League array -- 7 points disconnected leaders Arsenal -- portion Brentford connected 14 points interruption escaped of a necktie for sole presumption of ninth connected the table.

- Report: Brentford vs. Chelsea | Premier League table | Upcoming fixtures

ESPN's James Olley has absorption and investigation from Brentford Community Stadium.

JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Postmatch quotes | Upcoming fixtures

Rapid reaction

1. Pulisic makes lively cameo arsenic Potter's rotation stalls

Chelsea manager Graham Potter shuffled the battalion erstwhile again present with 5 much changes from Sunday's 2-0 triumph astatine Aston Villa.

A grade of rotation is inevitable fixed the condensed docket up of the World Cup, and fewer could reason with it fixed helium remains unbeaten from 7 matches successful charge. But determination was small fluidity astir Chelsea until Christian Pulisic, Carney Chukwuemeka and Raheem Sterling came on.

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Pulisic was the liveliest of the trio, having a fierce 89th-minute changeable beaten distant by David Raya.

The U.S. men's nationalist squad planetary has started conscionable 2 games this play and is hopeless for much opportunities. That has to commencement determination and aft his extremity against Wolves 10 days ago, this was different measurement successful the close absorption connected a travel that helium volition anticipation to proceed successful the adjacent fewer weeks earlier heading to Qatar.

2. Kepa follows Mendy's illustration astatine Brentford

Chelsea needed Edouard Mendy to beryllium astatine his precise champion successful past season's corresponding fixture, and Kepa Arrizabalaga delivered a likewise defiant show to gain the Blues a 0-0 gully astatine Brentford connected Wednesday.

This wasn't rather the all-action show Mendy delivered arsenic Ivan Toney and peculiarly Bryan Mbeumo were blameworthy of missing wide chances, but Kepa inactive produced a drawstring of good saves, particularly successful the archetypal fractional erstwhile Brentford were astatine their best.

However, Mbeumo fto them disconnected the hook astir evidently conscionable 5 minutes into the 2nd fractional erstwhile planting a escaped header from adjacent scope consecutive astatine a grateful Kepa. Nevertheless, Potter spoke glowingly earlier the crippled astir the enactment Kepa had done to regain his spot from Mendy aft being mostly sidelined nether Thomas Tuchel.

The Spaniard, for his part, justified that praise erstwhile again by replicating his goalkeeping rival astatine the venue of 1 of his champion performances, making 5 saves successful total.

3. Broja yet gets his chance

Armando Broja has waited a agelong clip for his afloat Chelsea debut.

He archetypal joined the Blues astatine the under-9s level, but aft coming done the ranks and taking successful indebtedness spells astatine Vitesse Arnhem and Southampton, present was a accidental to pb the Chelsea enactment for the archetypal clip connected Wednesday. Until this sojourn to Brentford, helium had made conscionable 10 substitute appearances totalling 178 minutes.

In truth, helium was mostly starved of work arsenic the Blues struggled for immoderate fluidity. Broja was near to marque moments retired of nothing, specified arsenic Mateo Kovacic's hopeful clipped shot implicit the Brentford defence, which helium managed to bushed Ben Mee to contempt starting respective yards adrift. Nothing came of it, however, and arsenic Brentford continued to marque the running, the 21-year-old was substituted conscionable aft the hr people arsenic Potter sought to reshuffle his attack.

There were capable flashes of committedness to suggest Broja could marque much of an interaction but helium remains a enactment successful progress. There is small uncertainty Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang volition commencement against Manchester United successful Chelsea's adjacent fixture connected Saturday.

Player ratings

Brentford: Raya 7, Roerslev 7, Zanka 7, Mee 7, Pinnock 8, Henry 7, Onyeka 7, Janelt 7, Jensen 7, Mbeumo 7, Toney 6.

Subs: Baptiste 6, Wissa 6, Dasilva 6, Ghoddos 6.

Chelsea: Arrizabalaga 8, Azpilicueta 7, Chalobah 6, Koulibaly 6, Cucurella 6, Loftus-Cheek 6, Jorginho 7, Mount 6, Gallagher 5, Broja 7, Havertz 5.

Subs: Kovacic 7, Pulisic 7, Chukwuemeka 7, Sterling 6.

Best and worst performers

BEST: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Chelsea

He kept Chelsea successful it aboriginal connected and maintained his bully idiosyncratic tally of form.

WORST: Kai Havertz, Chelsea

He was fortunate to past Potter's triple substitution connected the hr people and failed to nexus the midfield to Broja.

Highlights and notable moments

Well, let's beryllium honest: this lucifer wasn't chock afloat of highlights. It ended 0-0, and though some goalkeepers had to marque 5 saves each, galore of the saves were reasonably routine.

A infinitesimal of intrigue did get successful heavy stoppage time, however. Chelsea appealed for a punishment erstwhile the shot appeared to deed the manus of Brentford defender Ethan Pinnock successful the box.

The play was reviewed by VAR, but waved off. You tin justice yourself:

Should Chelsea person gotten a punishment astatine the extremity of the match?#BRECHE pic.twitter.com/JKqyRVdBzn

After the match: What the players and managers said

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga: "We're not happy. They had chances and we had chances and successful the past 15 minutes we were playing successful their container and we had wide opportunities and should people something. The feeling is that we person dropped 2 points and we wanted 3 points to beryllium warring with the apical clubs."

Chelsea manager Graham Potter: "We pushed and pushed and gave it everything. It's not casual with the docket but we enactment the effort successful and I'm arrogant of them -- it's a hard-earned point."

Brentford manager Thomas Frank: "The time we got promoted was the time they won the Champions League rubric with beauteous overmuch the aforesaid players. They are 1 of the biggest clubs successful the satellite and we wholly reasonably tin accidental if determination was a winner, it should person been us."

Up next

Brentford: The Bees caput to Aston Villa for a Premier League fixture connected Sunday, Oct. 23 astatine 9 a.m. ET. Then Brentford hosts Wolves the pursuing Saturday, Oct. 29 astatine 10 a.m. ET.

Chelsea: The Blues big Manchester United successful Premier League enactment connected Saturday, Oct. 22 astatine 12:30 p.m. ET. Then Chelsea displacement absorption to the UEFA Champions League erstwhile they caput to Austria to look FC Salzburg connected Tuesday, Oct. 25 astatine 12:45 p.m. ET.