Brentford manager Thomas Frank has been discussing Chelsea’s title chances after getting to watch Enzo Maresca’s men first-hand.
Thomas Frank saw his Brentford side lose 2-1 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Blues’ victory now means that they are just two points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, though Arne Slot’s team do have a game in hand.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 15 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 13 | 18 | 36 |
| 2 |  ChelseaChelsea | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 37 | 19 | 18 | 34 |
| 3 |  ArsenalArsenal | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 29 | 15 | 14 | 30 |
| 4 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 21 | 19 | 2 | 28 |
| 5 |  Man CityManchester City | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 28 | 23 | 5 | 27 |
| 6 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 25 | -1 | 25 |
Whatever the case, Chelsea look to be in this season’s title race, especially following that 2-1 win against Brentford. Marc Cucurella and Nicolas Jackson were the goalscorers for Chelsea on the night. Jackson’s strike delighted Maresca, with it putting his side 2-0 up before Bryan Mbeumo’s consolation.
Thomas Frank thinks Chelsea can win the title
Maresca continues to rule Chelsea out of the title race, but Frank is refusing to follow suit.
While the 51-year-old did not come out after the game and say that Chelsea are the outright favourites to win the Premier League crown, he did suggest that they are up there with Liverpool.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Frank said: “We created quite a bit of trouble for Chelsea which you could see how much it meant to them. They are right up there as favourites for the title and well deserved.”
Things got a bit heated at the end of Sunday’s west London derby, with Cucurella receiving a second yellow card after the full-time whistle. Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho were relaxed during the scuffle that was going on, however.
Thomas Frank claims Brentford could have beaten Chelsea
Despite Chelsea’s dominance and two-goal lead, Frank thinks Brentford deserved at least a draw, claiming that they could have even won the game.
In his interview with BBC Sport, he said: “Second half we were better. A draw would have been well deserved in my opinion. We hit the crossbar, other big chances.”
The Dane later went on to add: “If you look at the performance today against a top team who will go right to the end of the season and try to win the title, the way they celebrated it was clear they respected us and we could easily have got something. Maybe we could win it.”
Brentford had some good chances; they certainly could have drawn. Whether they deserved to, though, is another matter.
As for the claim that the Bees could have won, Frank should not forget some of the chances that Chelsea wasted as well. They easily could have got three or four the way they battered the visitor’s goal.
In total, Chelsea had 26 shots to Brentford’s nine, with eight being on target. Maresca’s men deserved their three points.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
