Brentford 2-2

Independent:
Brentford 2 Chelsea 2
Glenn Moore

From the moment that Chelsea were forced to enter the Griffin Park pitch through a guard of honour of ball boys it was clear this was to be an uncomfortable day for the FA Cup holders  and so it proved with League One Brentford twice poised to despatch them.
In the end a brace of equalisers from Oscar and Fernando Torres enabled the European Champions to avoid a humiliating exit and with no players sent off and no ball-boys harmed it turned into a relatively quiet afternoon by their standards.
It might easily have been different. Ross Turnbull received the benefit of the doubt from referee Jon Moss when he brought down Tom Adeyemi in the box, and Torres’s goal came just seven minutes from time.
And yet Chelsea might well have won, Moss somehow missing a clear handball by Harlee Dean in injury-time. That would have been harsh on their League One opponents. Uwe Rosler’s team of young talents discarded by bigger clubs, guided by a few older heads, outplayed the Premier League side for long periods on a heavily-sanded, gluepot pitch.
Interim manager Rafael Benitez preferred Torres to Demba Ba, rested Juan Mata, recalled John Terry and gave Marko Marin another chance on the right. With Ryan Bertrand advanced on the left this gave him a front three consisting of two players woefully out of form and an out-of-position left-back. It showed. Though Chelsea were the sharper team in the early stages they had no attacking threat. Once Brentford realised they would not be swept away they began to get the ball down and play themselves.
Helped by a strong wind at their backs, the central midfield trio of Adam Forshaw, Toumani Diagouraga and Jonathan Douglas pressed Ramires and Frank Lampard back and the Bees took control.
The main threat was on the left where Harry Forrester combined well with Shaleum Logan. Forrester had blasted over when Turnbull bizarrely conceded a free-kick by picking up Terry’s back-pass, and did not always choose the right option, but his skill and pace troubled Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill. Three times he threatened Turnbull and on the fourth he stuck gold, the goalkeeper only managing to shovel his shot out to Marcello Trotta, who lashed the rebound back. Cue joys for supporters of Brentford – and Fulham, from whom Trotta is on loan.
Marin was hauled off at the break and Mata asked again to rescue his team. Chelsea, who now had the wind in their favour, did begin to establish some control and 10 minutes into the half Oscar, showing delightfully quick feet in the box, levelled. Chelsea looked set to push on and secure a passage to the fifth round but with 20 minutes left Adeyemi, whose previous association with the FA Cup had been unhappy (he was racially abused at Anfield playing for Oldham) came on.
Almost immediately he went clear and tumbled over Turnbull’s clumsy challenge. Referee Moss decided it was a penalty, but, to the displeasure of Rosler, just a yellow card. “My impression is a goalscoring opportunity was denied. We know what that means,” said Rosler.
Forrester stepped up and scored in front of the Chelsea fans. “I had a little look at them to soak up the moment, then picked my spot,” he said. “It is one of those moments that will stay with me forever.”
The Chelsea fans called for Ba. Benitez changed right-backs prompting chants of: ‘You don’t know what you’re doing’.
“We know what we are doing,” said Benitez afterwards, adding that he wanted fresh legs to produce more width. Indeed Bertrand soon headed over from a Cesar Azpilicueta cross.
Benitez also pointed to the game-changing introduction of Mata as an example of his tactical acumen and said of Ba: “I left it as the team was doing well. We were in control and on top of things. When you are doing well you cannot change too many things.”
Ba finally came on, ostensibly to play on the left, with eight minutes remaining. He soon drifted inside and was involved in the move which ended with Torres curling a lovely shot past Simon Moore for his first goal in nine matches.
Brentford were happy to take a draw but Chelsea wanted a winner and might have had it had Moss seen Dean block Mata’s cross with his arm. With Frank Lampard on the pitch that would probably have been curtains for Brentford though Moore did make a superb penalty save against Leyton Orient in midweek.
“It was a very clear penalty,” said Benitez, “but it was also very clear we did not perform in the first half.” He did not, however, see any reason to feel relieved as: “I was really pleased with the reaction of the team in the second half.”
Such are Chelsea’s fixture commitments the replay – Brentford’s first match at Stamford Bridge since 1946 – will be held on the weekend of the fifth round, 16-17 February. In the meantime Chelsea have a Champions League place to chase and Europa League campaign to pursue, while Brentford focus on their League One promotion challenge with matches against Yeovil, Bury and Stevenage.

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Guardian:

Fernando Torres saves Chelsea from FA Cup humiliation at Brentford
David Hytner at Griffin Park

Thank heavens for Fernando Torres. Chelsea were staring at FA Cup humiliation at the hands of League One opposition and Rafael Benítez was feeling the fury of the club's travelling support when the striker, who has become synonymous with a failure to deliver when it really matters, cast off the shackles.
Torres's late equaliser was marked by the kind of quality that persuaded Chelsea to break the British transfer record to sign him and, although it is trite to suggest that it repaid a slice of the £50m fee, there could be no doubting the relief that it brought.
Benítez was prominent among the beneficiaries. His 78th-minute substitution of Branislav Ivanovic for César Azpilicueta, one right-back for another, as Chelsea trailed to Harry Forrester's penalty, drew derision from the away enclosure, who told him that he did not know what he was doing. There was the stock reminder that he was not wanted by them, and the end of the first half had triggered an outpouring of abuse.
Torres's instinctive finish – right-footed into the far corner – painted happier headlines for Chelsea, who had to fear the worst after Ballboy-gate at Swansea City last Wednesday. They could even have snatched it in injury time when the substitute Juan Mata's cross struck Harlee Dean's hand only for the referee, John Moss, to ignore the penalty appeal.
Perhaps, he subconsciously gave in to his romantic side because defeat would have been awfully harsh on Brentford, who controlled the first half and contributed heavily to an engrossing tie. The intensity of their midfield trio was stirring and Shaleum Logan and Forrester caught the eye with their enterprise on the left flank. The cheers from the home crowd upon the final whistle spoke of a famous result and Kool and the Gang's Celebration caught the mood, as it was played over the PA system.
Benítez had taken few chances with a strong lineup, in which all six of his senior English players started, although he would tell you that his squad is so stretched at present he has little room for manoeuvre. But Chelsea were dismal in the first half, creating nothing of note and struggling to piece together passes. Brentford looked as if they wanted it more, in front of their biggest home crowd in three decades and on a pitch that was the leveller of cup lore.
Believe it or not, Chelsea paid for the surface to be seeded, as part of the deal that allows their under-21s to play here sometimes and they felt it cut up badly. Brentford seek to get the ball down and play but, as Chelsea battled to come to terms with the bobbles, Uwe Rösler's team revelled in their familiarity.
Ross Turnbull epitomised the Chelsea edginess. In for the injured Petr Cech, the goalkeeper had endured an early misunderstanding with John Terry, which resulted in him getting too close to the returning captain and picking up his back-pass. Forrester lifted the free-kick over the crossbar. But when Forrester shot from distance before the interval, after the impressive Adam Forshaw had robbed Frank Lampard, Turnbull could only parry to the feet of Marcello Trotta, who ignited the occasion with his finish.
Benítez responded at half-time by sending on Mata for the anonymous Marko Marin, moving Oscar to the right and, presumably, instructing his team to show a bit of backbone. He had wanted to spare the overused Mata but the situation felt desperate. He got the response that he wanted, with Chelsea coming to show purpose and their first equaliser duly arrived. It was a beauty.
Oscar had looked as though he would rather be elsewhere in the first half; possibly, on a beach in his native Brazil. At least there was plenty of sand on this pitch. But he came alive inside the area, showing his balance to wriggle past defenders before curling home with the outside of his right boot. Mata drew a smart save out of Simon Moore shortly afterwards and it seemed as if Chelsea were primed to weather the storm.
Wrong. Rösler withdrew Trotta for Tom Adeyemi, moved Clayton Donaldson to his normal No9 role and enjoyed a stunning dividend. Donaldson's pass ushered in Adeyemi and when he nicked the ball past Turnbull, he found himself impeded by the advancing Chelsea goalkeeper's challenge. The visitors complained about the lack of contact but Turnbull had been clumsy. He was booked – the sanction could have been worse, on another day – and Forrester kept his nerve from the spot.
Ivanovic had gone close with an overhead kick when Benítez swapped him for the fresh legs and natural width of Azpilicueta, who promptly crossed for Ryan Bertrand to head off target, and it became easy to imagine the reaction to a Chelsea exit. Torres, however, stepped forward to save the day. The club's Cup defence remains alive.
Man of the match Harry Forrester (Brentford)

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Telegraph:

Brentford 2 Chelsea 2:
Henry Winter

At one point in the second half, with the League One hosts leading 2-1, Brentford’s raucous fans enquired of their visitors: “champions of Europe? You’re having a laugh.” Chelsea didn’t even look like FA Cup holders for long periods.
They recovered to force a replay through Fernando Torres seven minutes from time but this was a deeply unconvincing performance.
Oscar scored an exquisite goal, Juan Mata brought intelligence when arriving for the second half but too many high-profile names lost their duels with Uwe Rosler’s players.
The replay will be on fifth-round weekend because of league, international and Europa League commitments. Chelsea fly back from Sparta Prague after their Valentine’s Day assignment, resuming conflict with Brentford on Feb 17, before taking on Sparta in the second leg four days later.
They need Rafa Benitez to consider pairing Torres with Demba Ba, and urgently require Petr Cech to recover from what Benitez termed “a niggle”. Ross Turnbull is too underwhelming an understudy.
They also need Benitez to demonstrate more fully the tactical nous he was known for at Liverpool. Those Chelsea fans temporarily relocated from the Shed to the Wendy House watched closely for signs that Benitez could influence the flow of the game.
The criticism of Chelsea’s interim manager from some supporters is that he responds to the clock rather than the scoreboard.
They even chanted “you don’t know what you’re doing” when he delayed the introduction of Ba. Benitez must shake off the impression that subs come on as if at pre-planned points in the game.
He had to act at the break, following a largely lifeless 45 minutes by Chelsea. Brentford were sharper, stronger of spirit, a collective rather than a gathering of individuals.
The pitch was poor in one half, part Hackney Marshes, part Copacabana, but Brentford managed to move the ball across it well enough. Adam Forshaw and Harry Forrester worked overtime. So did Jonathan Douglas, who wore the beard of a pirate and a look of utter determination to thwart distinguished guests. Marcello Trotta, on loan from Fulham, ran hard as the lone striker.
Chelsea knew swiftly they were in for a sustained examination of their character. With Eden Hazard starting his suspension, Chelsea emerged to a ball-boy guard of honour, carrying ironic if unintended echoes of the Liberty Stadium. They lacked inspiration and conviction in the opening half. Frank Lampard looked tired. Oscar managed a shot but it was tame.
Chelsea were disorganised defensively. Turnbull picked up a John Terry back-pass, gifting Brentford an indirect free-kick that Forrester eventually fired over.
Forshaw, twice, and Forrester both went close. Nerves crept into Chelsea’s play. Gary Cahill put the ball straight out.
Torres miskicked. Two minutes from time, Turnbull erred again, parrying Forrester’s shot into the path of Trotta, who pulled the trigger and three sides of Griffin Park rocked with delight.
One stand, housing the visitors, contained a mix of apprehension, defiance and soon dissent. At the break, Benitez walked across the pitch, his head down, initially engaged in conversation with Mata. Benitez did not look to his right where a few Chelsea fans were giving him the reverse Churchill.
How would he react? Criticised for his delayed and ultimately ineffective substitutions against Swansea, Benitez actually twisted early here. He withdrew Marin, a skilful player who possesses the slightness of frame that would make kite-flying a risk in windy conditions yesterday let alone finding a way through the dense thicket of Brentford’s five-man midfield.
If Mata’s change brought some rare approving nods from the Chelsea fans, Benitez’s decision to continue to keep Ba in reserve with Torres labouring was baffling.
Torres needed support. Oscar appreciated Mata’s presence, the Brazilian equalising within 10 minutes. He dribbled through the middle, his quick feet steering the ball through Brentford’s defence before he elegantly flicked the ball past Simon Moore with the outside of his right foot. The goal contained hints of Romario in his pomp.
Chelsea’s mood was better but Turnbull was hardly a human barricade. Rosler sent on Tom Adeyemi for Trotta and the substitute had an instant impact, running through and being brought down by Turnbull after 73 minutes. Forrester calmly took control of the penalty, placing it low to Turnbull’s right.
Chelsea fans were in ferment. Urgently needed a goal to prevent humiliation, Benitez’s second substitution after 79 minutes involved a right-back, Cesar Azpilicueta, for a right-back, Branislav Ivanovic, a like-for-like change greeted splenetically by the visiting fans.
Where was Ba? Sitting on the bench, hiding beneath a large bobble hat. Where was the logic in Azpilicueta? The holders were facing ignominy, losing to League One opposition, and a defender was coming on. Where was the boldness of a Jose Mourinho?
They immediately questioned Benitez. Azpilicueta promptly lifted in a promising ball but the supporters’ calls for Ba were understandable.
Three minutes later, Benitez sent him on for Bertrand. He assumed a position on the left but then moved into the centre, winning the ball and creating the stage for Torres to equalise with a superb curling strike. The Spainard’s finesse was a total contrast to his earlier travails.
Torres seemed inspired by Ba’s presence, perhaps finding greater motivation or simply more space.
Chelsea could even have won it in stoppage time, Mata and Ba screaming for a penalty when Harlee Dean handled Mata’s cross but Brentford deserved their replay and pay-day that could touch £750,000. Chelsea’s strange old season continues.

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Mail:

Brentford 2 Chelsea 2: Torres spares Rafa's blushes as holders are taken to replay

By MATT BARLOW

It is two years this week since Chelsea smashed the British transfer record to buy Fernando Torres and Sunday was probably not what anyone had in mind when he signed.
The £50million striker came to the rescue against League One Brentford at Griffin Park, sparing the European champions embarrassment at the end of a torrid week with a splendid equaliser, whipped into the top corner seven minutes from time to secure a replay.
It was his first goal since Christmas and one of the more valuable of the 27 he now has since moving from  Liverpool. Predictably, however, it did not protect Rafa Benitez from a volley of abuse as he crossed the pitch to the tunnel at the end.
Chelsea fans sped through their anti-Rafa repertoire: ‘You don’t know what you’re doing’; ‘You’re not wanted here’; ‘We don’t care about Rafa’.
Chief among their complaints at Griffin Park was that Demba Ba did not appear from the bench until nine minutes from time. When he did, he had an instant impact with an assist in the Torres goal.
Brentford were roared off by their biggest crowd for 30 years — more than 12,000. They played with fluency and spirit and rocked their illustrious neighbours but their delight was mixed with regret at failing to hold on for victory.
‘My players did fantastic,’ said the Bees’ manager Uwe Rosler. ‘They earned the right to play at Stamford Bridge. It will be a great day for our supporters again, for our players and, financially, it will help enormously.’
Marcello Trotta fired Brentford ahead two minutes before half-time when Frank Lampard dithered deep in his own half and was dispossessed by Adam Forshaw. Harry Forrester pounced, unleashing a drive which Ross Turnbull spilled to Trotta, who scored. It was a deserved lead.
Left back Shaleum Logan said: ‘We got in their faces. If one person missed a tackle the next person went in. We didn’t let them get in a rhythm. With world-class players, the one thing they don’t like is people in their faces and that’s what we did.’
Chelsea did not step up to the challenge. They were feeble in the first half as they kicked into a strong wind, casting accusing glances at a sticky pitch which played on their nerves and insecurities.
John Terry and Gary Cahill were uncertain at the back and Torres barely had a touch but nobody was more jittery than Turnbull,  in goal because Petr Cech was nursing a niggle.
The Benitez plan to rest players for the 40th game of the season backfired and Chelsea must squeeze this replay into the fifth-round weekend, between Europa League ties against Sparta Prague.
Rosler said: ‘I think we look forward more than Chelsea to that replay.’
It will be Brentford’s first trip to Stamford Bridge for a competitive game in 66 years.
Benitez sent on Juan Mata at half-time. Marko Marin, after a rare start, was hauled off. Mata was influential but Chelsea’s change in attitude was more important. They showed some desire to compete and quickened the tempo.
Oscar levelled after 55 minutes with a beautiful goal, side- stepping defenders in a crowded penalty area before poking a high shot past Brentford keeper Simon Moore, who then saved from Mata.
Chelsea would then have been  expected to squeeze the life from the home team but Brentford hit back. Rosler released League One’s top scorer Clayton Donaldson from his defensive duties on the right wing, restored him to centre forward and the home side regained the lead.
Donaldson unzipped the defence with a pass to Tom Adeyemi, who had only been on a few seconds when he was sent spinning into the air by Turnbull’s clumsy dash from goal. Chelsea’s keeper escaped with a booking but  Forrester punished him by converting from the penalty spot.
The next move from Benitez was to change his right back, which brought hoots of derision from beneath the tin roof at the away end. But the fresh legs of Cesar Azpilicueta created a chance which Ryan Bertrand headed over the bar.
Then Ba’s physical presence supplied a new dimension and within a minute he had  muscled the ball down for Torres to curl in the equaliser from the edge of the box.
Benitez said: ‘I changed Mata at half-time and he made a big difference. We were in control. We were on top of them. When you are doing well you cannot change too many things. I wanted to give some width to the team with Cesar. Still we were in control, then I brought on Ba.’
Chelsea summoned a strong  finish. Mata wanted a penalty in stoppage time when his cross from the Chelsea left hit centre half Harlee Dean on the hand but referee Jon Moss waved play on.
The visitors protested, a sign of their desperation, and Rosler accepted football’s gods must have been on his side.
‘European champions, you’re having a laugh,’ sang home fans at the final whistle. They did not want to leave, lingering behind the stands to savour a famous day, searching for autographs.
Brentford chairman Greg Dyke could not keep the grin off his face. For Chelsea, it was another day to forget but at least the ball boys performed well.

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Mirror:

Brentford 2-2
Stung by the Bees: Only late Torres equaliser prevents Brentford from dumping Chelsea out of the Cup
Darren Lewis

How the mighty continue to fall.
Never mind champions of Europe, this was not even a performance befitting their status as defending champions of the FA Cup.
Chelsea remain in a mess after Brentford became the latest side from lower down the pecking order to embarrass them in a matter of weeks.
Uwe Rosler’s Bees join Fulham, QPR, West Ham Southampton and Swansea – all of whom have either held, or beaten, Rafa Benitez’s ­multi-million-pound side across three competitions going back to the start of December.
At Griffin Park, Brentford came within touching distance of inflicting a defeat so devastating that the Blues’ interim boss could not possibly have talked his way out of it.
Bizarrely enough, Rosler’s men will even fancy themselves at Stamford Bridge in a couple of weeks’ time as the Blues have won just three of their last nine games at home.
The hostile atmosphere that has seen Benitez, Fernando Torres and the Chelsea board all booed and blasted in recent weeks will surely be reproduced if Brentford repeat this performance.
And stinging in the Chelsea players’ ears will be Rosler’s taunt about their work rate which he believes his League One players totally surpassed in this entertaining contest.
Brentford have lost just twice at home in the league this season and did themselves proud in front of their biggest home crowd for 30 years.
They were handed an early chance to take the lead yesterday after John Terry – starting his first game under Benitez after injury – backpassed to keeper Ross Turnbull.
Bizarrely, the Chelsea reserve picked up the ball allowing Brentford a free-kick inside the box. Harry Forrester blazed over. But the Bees went on to enjoy more ­opportunities in what was turning out to be an absorbing encounter.
Special mentions must go to in-form Bees striker Clayton Donaldson who worked hard down the right in the first half. Also midfielders Toumani Diagouraga, Jonathan Douglas and Adam Forshaw.
It was striker Marcello Trotta, however, who opened the scoring. The Italian was fastest to react three minutes before the break when Turnbull could only parry man-of-the-match Forrester’s shot.
Benitez – again blasted from the stands by disgruntled fans – ­withdrew the ineffective Marko Marin at half-time for Juan Mata. Suddenly Chelsea were enjoying more possession and, out of nothing, Oscar’s flick provided a moment of magic to level the scores.
Brentford keeper Simon Moore – who could do nothing about the Brazilian’s strike – had had nothing to do in the first half. He was far the busier keeper in the second, however, with Chelsea finally ­realising they had to clock on.
The side third in the Premier League still found themselves staring down the barrel 17 minutes from time, though, when sub Tom Adeyemi was fouled by Turnbull after being sent clear by Donaldson.
Referee Jon Moss let the Chelsea keeper off the hook with a yellow card. But Forrester didn’t let Turnbull off from the spot.
Their lead restored, Rosler’s men looked to be holding their more illustrious visitors at arm’s length with Moore holding Branislav Ivanovic’s overhead kick easily and Ryan Bertrand heading over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
 At that point Chelsea appeared in grave danger of surrendering their sixth chance of winning a trophy in as many months.
Then, redemption for Rafa. ­Substitute Demba Ba, scandalously made to wait until the 81st minute for his introduction, scrapped for the ball on the edge of the Brentford box and teed up Fernando Torres.
The under-fire Spanish striker, so often the weakest link in the Chelsea team, swept the ball into the back of the net with a curling finish.
It was tough on the League One side but terrific from Torres as he battles to justify his inclusion ahead of in-form Ba.
To be fair to the Blues they could even have had a late penalty when defender Harlee Dean handled Mata’s cross in injury time.
The statistics still favour the Premier League giants, who remain undefeated in their last 25 FA Cup matches, winning 20 and drawing five of them.
Their stumbles over the last six weeks, however, mean Brentford will go to Stamford Bridge in a fortnight with every chance.


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Star:

BRENTFORD 2 - CHELSEA 2: BEES STING THE BLUES
David Woods

BRENTFORD yesterday accused FA Cup holders Chelsea of not trying hard enough and hating having them in their faces.
Bees boss Uwe Rosler claimed the God of football had supported his team when the Blues were denied a clear 93rd-minute penalty for handball against defender Harlee Dean.
“We deserved that luck from what we have put in compared to what Chelsea put in over the 90 minutes," said the German.
“There is a football God up there and he is in on our side.”
And the League One side’s left-back Shaleum Logan reckoned the Champions League winners did not have the stomach for the fight at Griffin Park.
“The one thing with world-class players is they don’t like people in their faces and that’s we did,” he said.
“We didn’t let them get in a rhythm. Maybe we had them rattled.”
Rosler’s Brentford were twice in the lead, through goals from Marcello Trotta in the 43rd minute and a penalty from Harry Forrester in the 73rd. Oscar in the 56th minute and Fernando Torres in the 83rd hit back for Chelsea to land a moneyspinning replay for Brentford at Stamford Bridge in two weekends’ time, on fifth-round day.
Rosler said: “This is another game that falls within a hectic schedule.
“Rafa Benitez is also not happy with another game in his schedule.
“But I think we look forward more than Chelsea to that replay.
“We have everything to win and nothing to lose and we won already today by earning that replay.”
Aside from the handball controversy, referee Jon Moss also only booked Chelsea keeper Ross Turnbull for bringing down Tom Adeyemi in the box. Rosler claimed it should have been red.
“My impression is in that split second the player went through, went around the keeper and had a scoring opportunity denied,” he said.
Benitez admitted his team had started poorly but got better.
Of the abuse from Chelsea fans during the game, he said: “It is a transition period at the club. They wanted a manager with experience, and I will try to do my best.”

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Express:

BRENTFORD 2 - CHELSEA 2: `FERNANDO TORRES TO THE RESCUE
Tony Woods

Chelsea were sliding to one of the most embarrassing Cup exits in their history yesterday. But, seven minutes from time, Demba Ba, who had only been on for a minute, won the ball in a tussle and poked it to Torres. The Spaniard then guided a shot across keeper Simon Moore and into the far corner of the net. Sighs of relief all round.
Roman Abramovich would not have been at all happy to see his club go out of two cup competitions in the space of five days. Wednesday’s Capital One Cup semi-final loss at Swansea was bad enough.
After the first 45 minutes yesterday it looked as though even worse was on the cards as Chelsea trailed to Marcello Trotta’s strike. It was as bad a performance as the Blues have put in this season.
Twice they had to fight back from behind against Uwe Rosler’s League One promotion contenders. In the end they slunk away grateful for a replay. Had this one slipped away they would have only the Europa League, and that is a notoriously difficult competition.
The FA Cup isn’t easy, mind, not in a proper old London tie in a proper old ground heaving with a capacity 12,146 crowd. And how close we came to an old-fashioned upset. The Bees looked set to be overwhelmed early on. Then they discovered that s second-choice goalkeeper Ross Turnbull was as nervous as a cat on hot bricks.
Benitez brought back John Terry after two months out for the sort of match that the skipper loves. But Turnbull’s nerves affected everyone.
First he picked up a back-pass, giving away a free-kick that Harry Forrester put over. Forrester then twice put efforts wide and Adam Forshaw just missed.
Chelsea at this stage, on a wet pitch and with the wind against them, could barely put a pass right. And four minutes before half-time the roof fell in. Forrester’s shot was palmed away by Turnbull, but only to Trotta, who tapped the ball in.
Off went the anonymous Marko Marin, on went Juan Mata, and Chelsea at last started to play. Oscar provided the equaliser , skipping past two tackles to chip his shot home, but Brentford dug in.
Forrester sent Tom Adeyemi through with a clever pass and Turnbull upended him. Luckily for Chelsea it was only a yellow card. But Forrester punished them enough, rattling in the penalty.
Calamity threatened. Benitez was getting abuse from the Chelsea fans and to shouts of “You don’t know what you’re doing”. He threw Ba on, and that switch paid off within a minute. Ba set up Torres for what seasoned Chelsea watchers reckoned was only the third meaningful, game-changing goal that he has scored in a blue shirt.
Chelsea should have had a penalty late on when Harlee Dean handled. But a defeat would have been harsh on Rosler’s skilful young side. A replay was the least they deserved.