Chelsea saved themselves from yet another defeat to Brentford after a back-and-forth clash at Gtech Community Stadium ended in a 2-2 draw.
It looked as though Mauricio Pochettino would suffer another setback as the game approached its end with Chelsea losing 2-1, only for Axel Disasi to clinch the equaliser in the 84th minute with a powerful header.
The point does little for Chelsea, but it ends Brentford's three-match losing streak and puts a little bit more breathing space between themselves and the relegation zone with just over 10 games remaining.
It was the visitors who struck first after dominating most of the opening half. Brentford were content to sit off the ball and wait for a counter-attacking opportunity. Chelsea had the lion's share of possession but couldn’t find the net until Nicolas Jackson’s header in the 35th minute.
Jackson should have netted another when he rounded the ball past goalkeeper Mark Flekken, only to take too many touches and allow Mathias Jorgensen to clear the striker's weak effort easily off the line.
But Thomas Frank’s side came out a different beast in the second half, scoring twice through Mads Roerslev and Yoane Wissa in the 50th and 69th minute respectively and capitalising on Chelsea's defence, which had looked weak all game.
The latter of which was a spectacularly acrobatic finish by the forward, rifling and overhead kick past a helpless Djordje Petrovic. Brentford had sunk their teeth into the match and had Chelsea firmly on the back foot.
By that point the game had opened up and was becoming combative. Chelsea injected some urgency and were rewarded in the 84th minute. With their first passage of attacking play for a long time, Palmer lifted a cross in for Disasi to rise over the Brentford defenders and head for the equaliser.
Chelsea pressed for winner goal, their attack spearheaded by substitute Raheem Sterling, but couldn't find their third and the referee called time after five minutes of stoppage time.
While important, a single point ensures Chelsea merely maintain their 11th spot in league. Brentford climb a single spot to 16th after Everton's 3-1 loss to West Ham - a valuable point in Frank and his side's fight against relegation.
Eurosport