Making the short journey across London to SW19, Brentford were looking for three points once again at a stadium that had proven a happy hunting ground in the last two seasons.
Chelsea hoped to build on their excellent performance against Arsenal last week but would be wary of the challenge that an organised and efficient Thomas Frank side would pose.
But it would be the visitors that prospered for a third straight match at Chelsea's home ground, winning the match 2-0.
With the second fixture of Gameweek 10 now concluded, VAVEL considers the four things we learned from this Saturday morning match:
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Lack of firepower hurts Chelsea
Ever since the departure of Diego Costa as Chelsea's No.1 Striker almost seven years ago, there have been many players attempting to replicate the Spaniard's goal-scoring ability and his presence and tenacity at the top of the pitch - all with varying degrees of success.
From international heavyweights like Gonzalo Higuain or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to homegrown talents such as Tammy Abraham, the Blues have never truly found the answer to who will be their long-term and consistent world-class centre-forward.
The latest player to try his hand at leading Chelsea's attack is Nicolas Jackson, who clearly has ability but is still raw and wasteful in front of goal, having only scored twice in his nine appearances for the club thus far.
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For a team with ambitions as lofty as Chelsea's, these numbers are not good enough based on the number of chances created if they ever hope to compete at the top end of the table once again.
Frustrations from the fans to this exact point became apparent at the final whistle, with Mauricio Pochettino having to get involved to calm matters down, but results like today will always be a possibility until Chelsea finds a way to convert their opportunities and put games to bed.
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Super Thomas Frank
Chelsea's problems in front of goal were only exacerbated by a superb performance from Brentford - who played the "perfect away game" and were rightly rewarded for their efforts with all three points.
Ever since Thomas Frank's promotion to Head Coach at Brentford back in 2018, the team have gone from strength to strength and fully established themselves as a consistent and quality Premier League outfit, on and off the pitch.
The Bees faithful will be counting their lucky stars for all the time that the Dane remains with them and with a four-and-a-half-year contract being signed just under a year ago, it doesn't seem that he will be going anywhere any time soon.
Lining his team up in a 3-5-2 formation, Brentford were happy to concede the majority of possession, in favour of defending doggedly and nullifying their opponent's threat through the middle of the park and reducing them to long-range strikes and crossing opportunities. Whenever the ball was there to be won, Christian Norgaard and co. broke swiftly and with purpose through the pacy Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbuemo. It was the perfect game plan, executed brilliantly by the players on the pitch and Chelsea ultimately did not have a response.
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Cole Palmer further shows his quality
With more consistent game time under his belt, Cole Palmer continues to show his supreme quality and makes the decision from Manchester City to sell him to a historic rival seem all the more confusing as each day passes. The Englishman looks comfortable in all attacking areas of the pitch and the bulk of Chelsea's positive play ran through him.
With the return of Christopher Nkunku to the Blue's starting eleven in the not-to-distant future, to add further creativity to the side, Palmer has certainly stepped up to the plate in his absence and is practically undroppable at this point. In another frustrating match for the West London club, Palmer continues to be a shining light.
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Brentford fear no one
In the 2022/23 season, from their 12 games against the top flight's so-called big six, the Bees were victorious on six occasions, drew three times and lost three matches. Having accrued a total of 21 points, an amount matched only by league champions Manchester City, it is clear that Thomas Frank's men thrive on the big occasion.
Having already taken points from first-placed Tottenham Hotspur this current campaign, Saturday's result can hardly be considered a fluke. For a club of Brentford's spending capacity and infrastructure, this is an incredible feat and further aids the point that they are not just in the Premier League to simply make up the numbers - they look to have a serious impact and go into any fixture with total belief that they are more than capable of beating anyone.
