Chelsea players are ‘apprehensive’ about playing at Stamford Bridge and fans ‘don’t know what they’re going to get’, claims Joe Cole – after latest home defeat by Brentford

• Chelsea have only won three Premier League games at home this calendar year
• They looked shot of confidence in the second half as Brentford stole the win 
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Joe Cole said Chelsea look ‘apprehensive’ when they play at home after their 2-0 loss against Brentford at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have won just one of their last 13 Premier League outings at home and were stung by the Bees on their own turf for the third season running. 

While Mauricio Pochettino’s men controlled the first half, Brentford came out fighting in the second and secured victory via goals from Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbeumo.

Chelsea had been unbeaten in four games but let a 2-0 lead against Arsenal slip last time out and have only beaten Luton at home in the league since March.  

Cole told TNT Sports: ‘You can sense it when they come to the stadium and the fans are apprehensive – they don’t know what they’re going to get. 

Joe Cole says Chelsea look ‘apprehensive’ when playing at home after another poor showing

The Blues have now won just one of their last 13 Premier League games at Stamford Bridge

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‘I saw a lot of good signs in the last four games but today, the doubts crept into the players’ minds. 

‘The players are apprehensive and then the football becomes like you’re playing in mud when you get that doubt and concern. It’s very difficult to get out of that.

They’re in it now and they’ve got to find a way. It’s real tough to play football in these conditions but you’ve got to stick together as a group and find a way out of this. 

‘You have to give Brentford a lot of credit. The back five and midfield in front of them were outstanding defensively. 

‘From Chelsea’s perspective, it’s a real tough pill to swallow.’

Frustration brewed at Stamford Bridge when the goals didn’t arrive and one fan clashed with Nicolas Jackson, demanding more from him while the striker replied with a finger to his mouth. 

Pochettino also fired back at the fan and there was trouble on the bench when his no.2, Jesus Perez, had a spat with Bernardo Cueva, a member of Frank’s backroom team. Perez was sent off and it exposed Chelsea’s annoyance. 

The defeat punctures what had been an uplifting spell for Chelsea, with three wins in their prior four games coming into this one. 

Chelsea’s revival has been stalled as their poor form at Stamford Bridge continues

Ethan Pinnock’s struck a header in the backpost to give the Bees the lead before the hour mark

Bryan Mbeumo continued his bright start to the season with a goal in the dying moments

While Brentford looked toothless in the first half, their desire and intent meant they caught Chelsea out in the second.

Pinnock climbed above the defenders to head in the first goal after 58 minutes.

Bryan Mbeumo sealed the victory deep into stopage time when Robert Sanchez went up for a corner, but Brentford broke and Neal Maupay teed up his team-mate despite the goalkeeper’s best efforts to catch him. 

After a challenging start to the season, Brentford have won three in a row and now sit above Chelsea after ten games. 

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