Magnificent Kepa Arrizabalaga denies Brentford to earn point for Chelsea

Brentford 0-0 Chelsea: Graham Potter’s side struggled in attack, but the Spaniard denied Ivan Toney among others to salvage a point

The fun stops at one end for Graham Potter, but there’s certainly no longer laughter at the other.

Chelsea failed to score for the first time since the new manager took over, but kept a fifth consecutive clean sheet thanks to one of the main positives so far. Kepa Arrizabalaga again looked the supreme goalkeeper that the club thought they were getting when they signed him in 2018. He may even be the most in-form goalkeeper in the league right now, as he followed an excellent performance at Aston Villa with an even better one at Brentford, to secure a 0-0 draw.

Such sentiments alone illustrate how good Thomas Frank’s side are. They deserved more than a point. They certainly deserve to be seen as so much more than just a bottom-half side who should be forgiving. They’re anything but. A visit to the Gtech Community Stadium is becoming a real challenge, a modern equivalent of a trip to Stoke City in a much more aesthetically appealing way, and where you will really have to fight.

Manchester United know it. Arsenal know it. Chelsea know it, but that was most keenly felt by Kepa.

He was the difference between a chastening first defeat for Potter and a fairly solid display that the English manager’s team grew into.

Ivan Toney is meanwhile surely growing into a proper option for the World Cup. He didn’t score here, but that was only through the heroics of Kepa. The more relevant aspect for Gareth Southgate should be the sort of difference he made, as well as how distinctive he is as a player.

Kepa’s defence regularly struggled with his movement.

Given that Potter has already constructed quite a sophisticated formation with Chelsea, Brentford had even more reason to return to one of their more rudimentary attacking approaches.

Kepa Arrizabalaga applauds the Chelsea fans (AP)

That was aerial bombardment. It should always be acknowledged here that there is much more calculation to this than 1980s route one, given the spaces Brentford try to find, but the very end result can be similar. It causes chaos. Chelsea struggled with it.

Brentford frequently got in behind. They just had a tough time getting past Kepa.

The Spanish goalkeeper’s reactions were sharpened by similar attacks at Aston Villa on Sunday, especially as he twice saved from point-blank range, and it made him even more assured here.

Brentford's Ethan Pinnock (left) blocks a shot from Chelsea's Raheem Sterling (PA)

Toney should have been celebrating twice, and would have been were it not for Kepa’s reflexes. It wasn’t just that he was making these stops, either. Some, in particular the two from Toney, were spectacular. The goalkeeper suddenly leapt back to tip the ball over the bar.

Kepa wasn’t the only one performing dramatic interventions, mind. Kalidou Koulibaly, who had occasionally been stretched in play, offered some brilliant recoveries with fine interventions. For one, the Senegalese centre-half got his foot to a ball just as Toney was about to shoot.

All of this reflected the fact Brentford were much the better team in the game.

It was probably the least control Potter’s side have had in a match since he joined, something that only started to change when Mateo Kovacic was introduced, and that was for an early injury to Conor Gallagher.

It was of course the Croatian that put the lively Armando Broja through for one of Chelsea’s best chances. Ben Mee just about did enough to fairly clip the ball away from the striker as he surged through.

Armando Broja is challenged by Ben Mee (Getty Images)

It was all Chelsea had until Potter went for one of his tactical rethinks, this one coming mid-game rather than between matches. All of Raheem Sterling, Christian Pulisic and - most intriguingly - Carney Chukwuemeka were brought on.

Chelsea began to assert control, and finally play much higher up the pitch. It did give Kepa a different challenge, though.

Rather than aerial bombardment, he had to face speedy breaks on the ground.

For one, he managed to get back to cut out one audacious lob. For two late on, he superbly narrowed the angles of Toney and Rico Henry to smother chances.

Ivan Toney is denied by Kepa Arrizabalaga (AP)

It ensured the game remained in the balance.

David Raya even offered a good stop at the end for good measure. There was no doubt, however, which keeper had been most influential in this game staying goalless.

It has become quite an encouraging redemption, as Chelsea try and evolve into something else. Brentford, by contrast, have never been surer about what they are.