Chelsea player ratings - 'Bulldoggish' and 'assured' 9/10s as Brentford beaten at the Bridge

Chelsea made a Sunday night win over Brentford harder than it needed to be with a nervy final 10 minutes but Enzo Maresca will go home chuffed with a fifth consecutive Premier League win.

Marc Cucurella floated in from wide in the first half to nod Chelsea ahead and sustained pressure after the break eventually led to a second via the boot of Nicolas Jackson. Bryan Mbeumo pulled one back for the visitors with 90 minutes on the clock but a late flurry of Bees action couldn’t reverse the deficit.

Here’s how the Chelsea players rated in the West London derby under the lights at Stamford Bridge.

GK - Robert Sanchez, 9

Had to come alive in the second half after a quiet 45 minutes and made several impressive saves. That performance will quiet any critics tonight.

LB - Marc Cucurella, 8

The real moment of influence from the full-back was a goal. He took that brilliantly after a clever diagonal run.

CB - Tosin Adarabioyo, 7

A mixed bag tonight. Was a titan in heading away any Brentford set plays and corners, and was a danger in the opposition box too. Did lose possession foolishly twice in the game - on another night that would have been punished by an opponent.

CB - Levi Colwill, 9

Can ask little more from the centre-back tonight. An almost pitch perfect performance, so assured in what he does. He’ll be fuming not to have kept a clean sheet.

RB - Malo Gusto, 8

Found space in the middle of pitch easy to come by early on. When he’s got running down that flank, he looked unstoppable but did fade in influence.

CDM - Enzo Fernandez, 8

Took a little while to warm up tonight but got there in the end. His curved ball through to Jackson ahead of the goal was superb.

CDM - Moises Caicedo, 9

The engine in the heart of midfield as usual, it was his bulldoggish work that won the ball back for the Jackson goal. Was asked to do a little too much before Mbeumo scored, losing out when challenged by three Bees men.

LW - Jadon Sancho, 7

Pleasure to see him playing with confidence but drifted in and out of the game. Sancho put it on a silver platter for Jackson in the second half, which the striker missed, but does delay that final ball sometimes.

CAM - Cole Palmer, 7

A bit of a quieter night for the star man. Lots of nice work and shots on target, and his vision as impressive as ever, but there were more decisive men in blue this evening.

RW - Noni Madueke, 9

Every time this man gets the ball in an attacking move, Stamford Bridge roars. A purring performance, Madueke looked a danger every time the Blues went forward. His final product can be erratic but he was a real nightmare for the Bees.

ST - Nicolas Jackson, 8

Got his goal but oh boy did he make that hard work. Missed an absolute sitter with 60 minutes on the clock and tripped over his own feet slightly later. Eventually found the back of the net with a really good finish from distance that gave Flekken no chance - it was the hardest of his chances tonight.

Afforded a small cameo late on with few moments to note.