Former Premier League star Jamie Redknapp pointed the finger of blame at debutant Garnacho, who was marking Carvalho before the late equaliser. Garnacho was in charge of stopping the midfielder as the Bees attempted to equalise from a long throw-in, but was caught napping as the Bees sealed a crucial point.
Garnacho came on as a substitute in the second half alongside Cole Palmer and created the chance for Moises Caicedo’s 85th-minute strike which put the Blues in front, but his defending at the last prevented Chelsea from overtaking Arsenal and claiming top spot in the table.
While speaking on Sky Sports after the match, Redknapp said: “They obviously made a few changes, Brentford, to try and chase the game. He brings on Carvalho, he brings on (Kristoffer) Ajer as well. With (Michael) Kayode going off who is throwing the ball with such height and pace, I didn’t even realise they had another long thrower in their midst with Schade. He launches one into the box, you can see you’ve got (Nathan) Collins and Ajer there, and what happens as it develops is this is the key battle here.
“Garnacho has got a job to do. He’s got to mark Carvalho. That’s your job, simple as that. Don’t lose him, you’re now one of the defensive players in here. If he gets in behind you, it’s on you. Everybody in there is trying to win that first contact, it’s not easy. Brentford have got some big guys. But Garnacho just falls asleep at the vital moment. The ball comes in from Schade, Garnacho’s not concentrating, they get that contact and there he (Carvalho) is at the back post.”
Chelsea are set to face Bayern Munich in their Champions League opener on Wednesday away from home before taking on Manchester United in the Premier League next Saturday.
