EPL: Alonso refuses to make excuses after Brentford demolish Chelsea
By Joel Masibo, September 19, 2026Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has accepted responsibility for his side’s 3-0 defeat to Brentford on Friday night, September 18, 2026 at Gtech Community Stadium, admitting that the Blues failed to maintain the intensity required throughout the Premier League encounter.
Chelsea enjoyed the stronger spell before half-time but could not turn their advantage into a goal. Brentford responded after the break, gradually taking control before Jaidon Anthony put the hosts ahead shortly after the hour mark.
The visitors were unable to produce a convincing reaction, and Brentford eventually put the contest beyond Chelsea with two goals late in the game.
The result handed Alonso his second defeat of the campaign and left the Spaniard disappointed with the way his players performed after the interval.
“I’m disappointed at the end with the second half and the result,’ he said. ‘This is not enough to compete in the Premier League, not to be able to go for the 90 minutes. This is why today we were punished.
“At the moment, we are not being consistent enough to compete during the whole game – 45 [minutes] is not enough, you need to play the whole game knowing each detail is important and each action can be decisive.
“We dropped our consistency, and our competitive mentality needed in the second half. It’s about 95 minutes, and we have not been able to keep that level throughout these few games in the start of the season. It’s something that we’ll have to do better.” He said.
Chelsea were also without captain Reece James and Joao Pedro, who had been among the team’s standout performers during the opening weeks of the season. Both players missed the trip to Brentford because of injuries.
However, Alonso refused to point to their absence as a reason for the disappointing result, instead demanding greater accountability from the squad.
“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.” He added.
The Chelsea boss will now expect his players to respond quickly, particularly after allowing Brentford to turn a competitive first half into a comfortable victory following the restart.