Chelsea risk moving out of the top four after being held to a goalless draw by Brentford at home.
The game was evenly contested with chances for both sides - the first half belonged to Thomas Frank's side, but Chelsea turned up the intensity in the second half with the introduction of several attacking substitutions.
It was the home side who looked more likely to nab a winner, with several close chances late in the game. The Blues will be frustrated with their performance - especially given the opportunity to gain advantage on the rest of the table, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest all dropping points in their fixtures.
Conference League duties await for Enzo Maresca's team, before a meeting with Ipswich Town at the weekend. Brentford are next in action against Arsenal on Saturday.
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Story of the match
Brentford had been a tricky opponent for Chelsea in recent years, with the Blues winning just one of their last five league meetings - a 2-1 win, which came in the reverse fixture this season.
Given he will also have to balance European football between now and the end of May, Enzo Maresca will have been cautious about keeping as many first-team players fit, and made five changes to his starting line-up as a result.
Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer were both moved to the bench in place of Christopher Nkunku and Kiernan-Dewsbury Hall. Reece James, Noni Madueke and Tosin Adarabioyo all began the game after featuring off the bench against Tottenham.
Thomas Frank was aware of the pressure the Blues were under in their hunt for Champions League football. His side had failed to win their last five home matches in the league, so he will have been hoping for a change in form.
There were early chances for both teams - Nkunku unable to direct his header on target from a free kick, before Yoane Wissa smashed an effort into the side netting. Winger Kevin Schade was a dangerous early threat for the Bees, and used his pace to exploit the gap left by the inverting Malo Gusto.
Chelsea had similar luck on the wing and were able to find Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke with ease - but with Nicolas Jackson shifted to the bench, they lacked a presence up front; Christopher Nkunku often drifted wide to create a passing option.
The Blues had the fairer share of possession in the first half but were pressed high by Brentford, who targeted the defensive line and pressured them into making mistakes. The home support behind Robert Sanchez also did their best to force an error from the keeper.
It was Brentford who looked more likely to open the scoring - with both Chelsea full-backs having to deal with the constant pace and threat of the Brentford wide men. They did well to prevent good chances from Mbuemo and Norgaard, keeping the score level.
Chants of ‘attack, attack’ came from the away fans, who were not at all pleased with the performance. Noni Madueke made a great run into the box and fired an effort straight at the keeper, which helped ease their irritations slightly.
Chelsea will have been happy to hear the halftime whistle - they had not properly gotten into the game and their attack had been poor compared to their opponents. While they largely controlled the possession in midfield, they needed to find better ways to nullify Brentford's quick transitions while getting their attackers more involved in the game.
Nicolas Jackson was brought on as a half time substitute - Maresca had spoken in midweek about how Chelsea are a different team with the striker on the pitch, and he looked to make an immediate impact, finding space in behind before dragging a shot wide of the target.
Jackson then acted as the creator, delivering a pair of dangerous crosses and forcing Flekken into a few saves. It was much better from the Blues.
Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer were brought on next - with Maresca doing everything to secure a victory away from home. Neto proved to be a positive change, and tested Flekken with two dangerous shots on goal.
Brentford began to show more threat too - first it was Mbuemo who's effort on the counterattack was deflected behind by Sanchez. From the resulting corner, Van dem Berg's header bounced off the grass and over the bar, before another effort blazed just wide of the far post.
Chelsea were throwing everything at Brentford in the final few minutes, but the home side defended well and were well positioned to block any shots or chances and keep the score level.
Cole Palmer had the final kick of the game and could have won it at the death with a brilliant effort, but his shot flew just off target. It ended all square, with the points shared at the GTech Community Stadium.
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Player of the Match - Nicolas Jackson
Whilst we saw no goals in this fixture, several players looked dangerous in front of goal, and after a lifeless first half from Chelsea, Nicolas Jackson helped to flip momentum in his team's favour.
He was a danger from crosses and open play, attempting shots of his own as well as setting up his teammates.
Jackson was the catalyst of his team's attack and allowed Chelsea to commit more players forward, which troubled Brentford's deep defence.
Maresca will be hoping the player retains his fitness for the remainder of the season.
