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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Dan Marsh

Chelsea stumble at Brentford as Graham Potter's injury crisis worsens - 5 talking points

Chelsea survived an early scare and played out an entertaining 0-0 draw with Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches.

The hosts swarmed all over Graham Potter's side in the early stages, but Brentford's rapid start failed to break Chelsea's resistance. The Blues did need Kepa Arrizabalaga to be at his best to deny Ivan Toney twice in the first-half, but the two sides were level at the break.

Potter rolled the dice and made a triple change on the hour mark, but it was Brentford who came closest to breaking the deadlock again through Toney, meaning the Blues had to settle for a point.

Here, Mirror Football takes a look at five talking points from Wednesday night's match...

Potter sticks to his word

Potter has only been in the Stamford Bridge hotseat for a short period, but changes have already become a hallmark of the 47-year-old's tenure. The former Brighton chief has stressed that everybody will be given the opportunity to stake a first-team claim, and so far, Potter has been true to his word.

He shuffled his pack again as the Blues sought to chalk up a sixth successive win, with five changes made for the short trip to the Gtech Community Stadium. Big names such as Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell were dropped to the bench, but the surprises didn't stop there.

Mason Mount has quickly established himself as Potter's main man, but even he was not immune from Potter's chopping and changing, with the midfielder one of three players withdrawn on the hour mark.

Potter has enjoyed a fine start to his Chelsea career, and he's certainly making the most of his opportunity to assess his squad ahead of the January transfer window.

Gallagher's World Cup blow

Join the debate! What did you make of Chelsea's performance against Brentford? Let us know here.

Conor Gallagher was forced off in the early stages of Chelsea's clash with Brentford (Chloe Knott)

Heading into the season, Conor Gallagher's stock was at an all-time high following his stunning loan spell at Crystal Palace. That temporary stint helped the 22-year-old propel himself onto the international radar - but his hopes of gatecrashing England's World Cup squad could be in grave jeopardy.

Gallagher lasted just 16 minutes of Wednesday night's clash after the ball ricocheted into his knee with his foot planted in the turf. And although the Blues ace was able to walk off the pitch himself, any period on the sidelines could prove to be terminal for his World Cup hopes.

Gallagher is also another absentee for Chelsea, who are already without a host of first-team stars as they bid to negotiate a packed fixture list ahead of the World Cup.

Broja makes a mark

Armando Broja was handed his first Chelsea start on Wednesday night (Clive Rose)

It was a proud night for Chelsea before a ball had even been kicked in west London, as five Cobham graduates were named in Potter's starting XI: including Armando Broja.

Broja was one of the young Chelsea stars given the opportunity to make an impression against the Bees, and the Albanian international certainly looked determined to make the most of his first ever start for the club.

Broja caused Brentford real issues in the first-half with his pace and power, although he did show his inexperience when he chose to selfishly plunder ahead with his own attempts to score rather than teeing up an unmarked Mount to his left.

The 21-year-old's impact waned after the break and he was replaced on the hour, but his performance will have certainly given Potter food for thought.

Toney sends England message

Ivan Toney caused Chelsea's defence problems on Wednesday night (Chloe Knott)

On the eve of England's provisional World Cup squad announcement, Toney had the perfect chance to send a message to Gareth Southgate after bagging a brace at the weekend.

And although Toney failed to get on the scoresheet, he made the most of another opportunity to impress against the Blues by producing a commanding display.

Kepa twice thwarted Toney to keep the scores level, but the former Newcastle man terrorised Chelsea's defence for the majority of the evening.

With less than a month until the start of the World Cup, the role of Harry Kane's deputy is still very much up for grabs. Toney has looked the best bet in recent weeks - and he underlined his credentials again against Brentford's west London rivals.

Kepa keeps at it

Kepa Arrizabalaga impressed again for Chelsea (Adrian Dennis)

For the second time in a week, Kepa showed just why he has been handed an unexpected reprieve following Potter's appointment.

The Spaniard played second fiddle to Edouard Mendy for much of Thomas Tuchel's reign, but Kepa was in inspired form during Sunday's 2-0 win over Aston Villa - and he performed more heroics to keep Brentford at bay.

Kepa was called into action twice to deny Toney and to underline again why Potter has decided to install the former Athletic Bilbao man as his No.1.

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