Brentford handed Chelsea a bruising 3-0 defeat at the GTech Community Stadium in west London on Friday, condemning their more illustrious neighbours to a third consecutive Premier League game without a win and raising serious questions about the Blues' ability to compete at the top of the table this season.

The match was goalless at half-time, with Chelsea's Cole Palmer twice threatening to break through and Pedro Neto forcing a save from Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher. But Brentford grew dominant after the interval, and the deadlock was broken in the 61st minute when Jaidon Anthony headed in from close range after Jannik Schuster — the Austrian midfielder who drove Brentford's second-half press — nodded a corner back across goal. Igor Thiago doubled the lead in the 83rd minute, pouncing after Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez parried a shot from Kevin Schade on a breakaway. Substitute Fabio Carvalho completed the rout in added time, turning in a Schade cross to seal a historic win — Brentford's first home league victory over Chelsea since 1938.

The result leaves Chelsea — who had begun the season brightly with wins over Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion — with only two wins from five games and having conceded 12 goals so far. Manager Xabi Alonso, the former Spain and Real Madrid midfielder who took charge at Stamford Bridge in July, was already dealing with a depleted squad. Midfield anchor Moises Caicedo, who provides defensive cover, has played just 14 minutes all season. Captain Reece James and leading striker Joao Pedro were also absent through injury on Friday, while Italy defender Marco Palestra has yet to feature since his summer move. Alonso made five changes to his starting lineup and handed veteran striker Danny Welbeck his first league start, while Jordan Henderson made his Chelsea debut against the club he represented last season.