Chelsea suffered yet another demoralizing home setback as Brentford defeated Chelsea 2-0 to hand Frank Lampard his fifth straight defeat.

When Cesar Azpilicueta scored an own goal in the first half, the visitors took the lead. Substitute Bryan Mbeumo then scored the visitors’ second goal, sending the hosts to their sixth consecutive loss at this location.

The figures accurately reflect Chelsea’s current predicament. The team has lost eight straight games and has scored one goal in their last seven games.

Read Also:Lampard announces Chelsea star is ruled out of the season

Even a top-half finish in the Premier League after this would be considered a success due to how far Chelsea’s ambitions have fallen, but after this, even that constrained, limited fantasy seems vanishingly distant.

Brentford only needed to wait patiently while Chelsea moved the ball about aimlessly in front of them, then take their only two opportunities of the game when they presented themselves.

Chelsea got off to a slow start and only got worse. After a deft first-time pass from Conor Gallagher, Ben Chilwell’s strong left-side surge during the first half may have been the lone moment of expectation at Stamford Bridge.

The only indication of attacking intent from either side in the first 20 minutes vanished when his low cross was intercepted.

Brentford had lost six straight games and Chelsea had lost seven straight, therefore it was expected that neither club would have many strategies to exploit the other.

As Chelsea looked for a way through, N’Golo Kante, who was once again paired with Gallagher in an advanced midfield position, arrived on the right touchline and bent over an appealing cross.

Thiago Silva rose from the back and was unimpeded inside the box, but his header into the ground lacked strength and only struck David Raya’s gloves.

On the half-hour mark, Kante handled the ball inside the area after Wesley Fofana’s cut-back and passed it to Enzo Fernandez, posing the first real challenge for the Brentford goalkeeper. The World Cup winner shot too near to Raya, who deflected it behind. He is still waiting for his first goal since his historic transfer to Stamford Bridge.

Azpilicueta had not played since being rendered unconscious during this victory over Leeds at the beginning of March, so it was unfair to the Chelsea captain that Brentford took the lead off his shin.

Mathias Jorgensen flicked Mathias Jensen’s corner, and Azpilicueta had little control over the situation as the ball bounced past Kepa Arrizabalaga and off him.

Chelsea was jeered off the field at halftime not for the first time this year. If performances keep going in this direction, it won’t be the last.

The situation Lampard was in was summed up by the sight of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who had been shut out by previous managers, coming off the bench for the second half. His arrival seemed to give Chelsea’s assault some life, finally having a goalscorer among its ranks.

Just after the restart, Kante came the closest for the home team when he flashed a shot inches wide from an angle, and Aubameyang then displayed wonderful technique to create space for a shot that was straight at Raya.

If the striker even made the team, he appeared to be in a desperate attempt to make up for the months he spent on the sidelines. Raheem Sterling appeared to have his chance when he glanced a far-post ball back across goal, but Aubameyang’s header deflected off the goalkeeper and onto the top of the net.

Then came the fatal strike. Mbeumo scarcely made a challenge as he moved upfield and towards the box after picking up the ball when he was just inside the Chelsea half. Mbeumo crushed Chelsea’s body with his left foot inside the close post despite a weak leg put in his way by Fofana.

West London belongs to us. as their home, sung the joyous away fans.