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Colwill admits Brentford bullied Chelsea at set pieces in London derby
19th September, 2026 07:47 AM
Chelsea’s defensive problems continued to deepen after their 3-0 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Friday night, September 18 2026, with the Blues once again punished by their vulnerability from set pieces.
The result means Xabi Alonso has become only the sixth manager in Premier League history to oversee a team that has conceded at least twice in each of his first five league matches. He joins Mick McCarthy, Sammy Lee, Terry Connor, Slavisa Jokanovic and Scott Parker on the unwanted list.
Chelsea’s struggles at dead-ball situations have also become increasingly concerning. Since the beginning of last season, they have conceded 23 Premier League goals from set pieces excluding penalties, the highest figure in the division, level with Bournemouth.
Following the heavy defeat, defender Levi Colwill has acknowledged that Chelsea have struggled to deal with opponents physically during set-piece situations this season, admitting that the team has at times been “bullied”.
“It was tough,” he told Sky Sports. “First of all, seeing the set piece, obviously we weren’t the best. We tried to push and maybe overexpose ourselves, play some passes we shouldn’t have and forced it.
“They hit us on the counter, which they’re so good at, and got the second goal. The third goal really hit home and hurt.
“In the second half, we weren’t good enough, obviously. We’ve got a lot to work on over the international break.
“We have not been good enough, at times we have been bullied and we need to improve at that, but we trust in out set-piece coach, we are still adjusting to new things, but we do need to improve as a team.” He added.
On his part, manager Xabi Alonso admitted to take full responsibility of the defeat: “It’s not about talking or looking for excuses, ”said Alonso. “We need to look at each other and know we have to work and improve. There is still a long way to go, but we have to check many things.” The Spanish coach said.
Chelsea will now have the international break to address their defensive weaknesses, with set-piece defending emerging as one of the key areas requiring immediate attention.
