Bully boys: Brentford expose Chelsea's defensive woes

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso criticised his players' game management after they were humbled 3-0 at Brentford, while defender Levi Colwill said his team were bullied at set pieces. Brentford scored three second-half goals to ease past Chelsea, with Jaidon Anthony, Igor Thiago and Fabio Carvalho all scoring. It was the third successive Premier League game in which Chelsea failed to win, having lost to Arsenal and <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2026/09/12/premier-league-hull-maintain-unbeaten-start-with-huge-result-at-chelsea-as-liverpool-held-by-fulham/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2026/09/12/premier-league-hull-maintain-unbeaten-start-with-huge-result-at-chelsea-as-liverpool-held-by-fulham/">drawn with Hull City last weekend</a>. While <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/chelsea-fc/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/chelsea-fc/">Chelsea</a> have looked a threat in attack in their previous games, scoring 10 goals, defensively they look less than solid, with the three goals conceded at Brentford meaning they have been breached 12 times already. Alonso is only the sixth manager to concede two or more goals in each of his first five Premier League matches in charge.