Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior blamed a virus sweeping through his squad for their tough second half, even as his team fought past Brentford to give him his first Premier League win.

The 2-0 score at Stamford Bridge—thanks to a goal from Joao Pedro in the first half and a Cole Palmer penalty in the second—actually made things look easier for Chelsea than they were. Brentford, managed by Keith Andrews, dominated after halftime but just couldn’t finish their chances.

Before the match, Chelsea fans protested against the owners, BlueCo, frustrated with the club’s direction. Even after the win, it was clear that problems on the pitch still need attention.

Chelsea lost control of the game almost completely in the second half. Brentford’s midfield ran all over them, and Chelsea struggled just to get out of their own end.

Rosenior pointed to the illness, which left several players unable to train, and said the win felt like clearing a big obstacle.

“It’s running through the squad,” Rosenior said. “A couple of players out there today were complaining about their chests. They gave everything. That’s why I think we weren’t great on the ball. I’m proud of the group for getting through this.”

Chelsea started well and deserved their 26th-minute lead. Michael Kayode’s clearance bounced off Enzo Fernandez and landed for Pedro, who smashed the ball home. After that, Brentford took over. Mathias Jensen and Kevin Schade both missed good chances to level the game.

Liam Delap, who missed the Carabao Cup loss to Arsenal because of the virus, came off the bench and immediately made an impact, pouncing on a poor touch from Caoimhin Kelleher to win a penalty.

Palmer slotted it home for 2-0, and Chelsea escaped. “I loved the attitude, the energy, the basics,” Rosenior said.

“When you play a good team like Brentford, what pleased me most—what you saw in both goals—was the players’ willingness to fight, to block shots, to win headers, to make tackles.

“That’s the attitude that got us the win.”

Reece James and Palmer, both just back from injury and hardly able to train, made their first appearances under Rosenior. Neither was at their best on the ball, but they still put in the work.

“No one can be brilliant on the ball every game,” Rosenior said. “But you can still find a way to win. Cole and Reece hadn’t trained. They went out there anyway and worked themselves into the ground—that’s the attitude I want to see.”

Brentford boss Keith Andrews, whose team sat fifth before kickoff, brushed off the idea that Chelsea’s spending guarantees them a higher finish.

“I don’t think spending money gets you a better player,” he said. “I just don’t see it that way.

“I’m really happy with the players we have. Igor Thiago cost about £30 million, but there are plenty of players in this league who cost more and haven’t done what he’s done.

“We were fifth going into this game, and we earned it. We haven’t had much luck—we’ve just played well.”

Real Madrid are thrilled—finally, some good news. Chelsea look ready to sell Enzo Fernandez in 2026, and that’s music to Madrid’s ears after missing out on Martin Zubimendi, who ended up at Arsenal in the summer of 2025. They’ve been kicking themselves over that one.

Back in October 2025, our guy Fraser Fletcher said Madrid were already eyeing Enzo. At the time, sources told us Fernandez was interested in the move too. He’s been at Chelsea since February 2023, cost a whopping £106.8 million, and honestly, he’s lived up to the hype. He’s won the World Cup with Argentina, added the 2024 Copa America, and become one of Chelsea’s standouts—always one of the first names on the team sheet.

Chelsea have called him the “complete midfielder” and pinned a lot of their hopes on him. But things change fast. Now, they seem ready to let the 25-year-old go. Fernandez just helped them win the UEFA Conference League and the 2025 Club World Cup, but the club’s open to selling—if the price is right.

Dean Jones, our transfer insider, says Madrid has picked up clear signals from Chelsea. The Blues aren’t putting Fernandez in the “untouchable” category, not anymore. Early talks—through intermediaries, of course—suggest Chelsea are open to a summer deal if someone matches their valuation. And considering what they paid Benfica, any transfer will cost a fortune—one of the biggest fees La Liga’s ever seen.

Madrid’s bosses see this as a chance to fix their Zubimendi blunder. The Spanish midfielder has been a revelation at Arsenal, and Madrid knows they missed the boat. Last January, Spanish paper AS reported that Xabi Alonso actually urged Madrid to sign Zubimendi. The player was up for it and even waited a few days before joining Arsenal, hoping Madrid would make their move. They didn’t, and now Florentino Perez realises the team still needs a midfielder who can really control the game.

With Chelsea now willing to talk about Fernandez, Perez finally has a shot at bringing in the kind of player Madrid have been missing—though it’ll cost them, no doubt about it.