The dust has now begun to settle on that amazing, incredible, unbelievable Friday night – a victory which will go down long in the memory of all those of a Bees persuasion. A thrashing which will go down in the history books as not only one of our best-ever results since our return to the top flight, not only as our first-ever win at home to Chelsea since 1938, but perhaps as one of the club’s most impressive results. Here are Mathew Milne’s five key takeaways from THAT Chelsea game:

Thiago back on the scoresheet… finally!

After a 25-goal campaign last year, plenty of standout performances throughout the season and a call-up to the Brazil squad for the World Cup this summer, things could not have gone much better for Igor. Yet, despite starting the Seleção’s first match against Morocco, he failed to make another appearance in the tournament as Brazil were stunned by Kris Ajer’s Norway at the Round of 16 stage.

Igor was soon back at the club for pre-season and looked imperious in the warm-up games against Rennes and Frankfurt – scoring a brace against the latter. However, in his first four league appearances of the new campaign, he had been completely marked out of the game in most of the matches, missed a penalty against Spurs and a decent chance in the draw at Elland Road, and was yet to add to his goal tally from 25/26. The Times even published an article saying he was surely ‘too tenacious to be a one-season wonder’.

Despite his lack of goals, his work rate and effort off the ball were still very important to the team and should be applauded.

However, it felt imperative that he got on the scoresheet sooner rather than later, or else he might start to lose his confidence in front of goal.

That was why it was such a relief to both Igor and us Bees fans to see him slot away that rebound on Friday night. He really needed that goal and you could see that he knew it – taking off his shirt at the expense of a yellow card. It was his first Premier League strike in seven games and his first non-penalty goal in ten matches. Hopefully, it will also set him on his way to another brilliant campaign with the Bees.

Schuster is becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet

I am not sure about you, but when I saw Nathan Collins go down and have to come off and be replaced by the young Jannik Schuster in that Sunderland match a few weeks ago, I was worried.

Brian Brobbey, the Black Cats’ strong and impressive front man, had been having a superb game – causing centre-backs Collins and Kris Ajer a long list of problems in the first 20 minutes or so, holding up the ball expertly, bringing his fellow attackers into play and helping create multiple chances for the Mackems.

So when I saw Schuster take to the field, I thought we would be doing extremely well to take anything from the game.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Schuster and Ajer seemed to gel instantly, shutting down Brobbey and limiting Sunderland to very little as the match went on. He looked more like an established pro than a young 19-year-old who had never played outside of the Austrian top flight.

Earning his first start against Bournemouth a week later, he was solid once again at the Vitality – fronting up brilliantly to the Cherries’ talented frontline. He looked composed on the ball, was sharp and defended admirably when we needed him, and helped us to earn a hard-won point on the South Coast.

Against Chelsea, I thought he was excellent and our man of the match. Yet again, he was a rock at the back. He blocked multiple goal-bound shots and, alongside Ajer, looked like they had been playing together for years. Offensively, he was a nuisance from set pieces and got his just reward for all his hard work with an assist for the first goal.

At this rate, when Collins and Van den Berg both return from their injury lay-offs after the international break, Keith Andrews has a very tough call to make on who starts in that centre-back role.

Lewis-Potter is surely due an England call-up very soon

With England manager Thomas Tuchel in the stands, KLP put in a magnificent showing down the left. He was resolute at the back and kept Pedro Neto quiet all evening. When going forwards, he attacked with pace and energy and tore past Chelsea players with ease at times, before whipping several dangerous balls into the area with his much-improved crossing abilities. He was a livewire all evening and it was a performance which totally encapsulated his last year or so with the Bees.

Naturally a left winger, he was forced to start playing in our left-back role a number of seasons ago due to injuries. Despite his preference to play further afield, Keane has excelled as a left-back, dominating defensively against some of the best attacking wingers in the league and offering pace, quality deliveries and a big threat when going forwards – he really is a bundle of energy. He was without doubt one of our players of the season last year too.

This campaign, he has been immense so far, finishing off a well-worked goal against Tottenham, continuing to work tirelessly in defence and remaining relentless in attack.

Keane thoroughly deserves his England call-up – it is time he finally got one.

This is exactly why the club was right not to move Schade on in the summer

If you ask most Brentford fans (me included), Kevin Schade had a very quiet season last year. Eight goals and three assists is not too bad going for a Premier League winger. Yet we all know that Kevin has a huge amount of ability, and he just didn’t seem to show it for most of 25/26.

Ever since he joined us almost four seasons ago, it has always been evident that we could have a top talent in Kevin Schade. There was just one problem: he was consistently inconsistent.

In his first two and a half seasons at the club, Kevin would be almost unstoppable in some games, breezing past his full-back at will, winning flick-ons from set pieces and long balls played forwards with his huge leap, running in behind and finishing one-on-ones with the keeper, and so on. However, there would also be some matches when he would appear unwilling to take his full-back on, cough up the ball constantly, fail to convert big chances and be an anonymous presence around the pitch.

Last year, it especially felt like his inconsistency was on another level, and it was beginning to grate with the Bees faithful. It also felt that time was really beginning to run out for Kevin to make his mark in TW8 or be moved on elsewhere. There was reportedly interest from Roma during the summer. Yet we held firm, and it has turned out to be the right decision.

At the start of this season, he has been magnificent. He seems to have gone up a gear or two and finally found that much-needed consistency. He has scored three goals already this term – including that exquisite flick at Leeds. The way he took his second goal down at Bournemouth as well was extremely impressive – last season, that probably would have ended up in Row Z.

His constant work rate has also been striking so far this campaign. To give him his due, he has always got back defensively to help out his full-back, but on Friday night that was especially important with the quality of Chelsea’s forwards, and he did that job brilliantly.

Kevin looks like a player reborn, and our attack looks all the better for it.

What a brilliant moment for Carvalho! Now this has to be the start of a big season for him

Ghosting in around the back and converting Schade’s ball across with aplomb, this felt like a big moment for Fabio Carvalho.

Bought for nearly £30 million back in the summer of 2024, the ex-Liverpool man is now in his third season with the Bees. His first was chaotic at times. With his father’s unhelpful intrusion, sloppy mistakes leading to goals and a shoulder injury at the end of the campaign, it didn’t go quite to plan.

25/26 was probably worse. After returning from injury, he scored a vital stoppage-time leveller against Chelsea last September. It felt like that could finally have been the springboard that he badly needed to a successful season, but it wasn’t to be. Injury hit again, this time an ACL, ruling him out for the rest of the year.

Carvalho most definitely has the talent and the ability to start every week, yet it still feels like we are yet to get the best out of him. When we do, we could have a star on our hands because there is undoubtedly a top player and finisher there. I feel as well that we perhaps haven’t found the right position for him yet either. For Fulham and Liverpool, he was a winger. During his time with the Bees thus far, we have mostly used him as an attacking midfielder. It is imperative that we help him find his favoured position soon, as Carvalho could be a real difference-maker this campaign.

Hopefully, his goal against Chelsea, combined with his composed strike against Reading earlier in midweek, can finally be the launching pad to a successful year for Fabio.

There you have it! After that enthralling win against the Blues on Friday night, I am in need of a lie-down – just as well the international break is here!

Matthew Milne