Xabi Alonso admits Chelsea struggle to maintain quality over full game

Xabi Alonso admitted his Chelsea players are not capable of competing for 90 minutes after they suffered a second-half collapse to lose 3-0 at Brentford .

The game at the Gtech Community Stadium was finely balance until the hour mark, with the visitors looking much improved defensively after their early-season wobbles.

Everything then changed when poor decision-making at a corner in the 61st minute allowed Jaidon Anthony to head in unmarked from virtually on the goal-line.

After that, Brentford were rampant. Kevin Schade raced clear and was denied by Emi Martinez , but Igor Thiago knocked in the rebound for his first league goal of the season.

Substitute Fabio Carvalho made it 3-0 in stoppage time from Schade's cross as Alonso became only the fifth manager in Premier League history to have conceded two or more goals in each of his first five matches.

"I would say that we have dropped our consistency, our competitive mentality needed in the second half," he said.

"The small details can be decisive. You don't have to give advantage in these kind of games, where with a little, they (Brentford) get a lot.

"It's about 95 minutes and we have not been able to keep that level throughout these few games at the start of the season. It's something we have to do better.

"We knew that it's a process. It's still five games, in a competitive Premier League. We knew each game is going to be hard. It's nothing new."

Only Mick McCarthy, Sammy Lee, Terry Connor, Slavisa Jokanovic and Scott Parker had previously begun life in the Premier League with at least two goals shipped in all five of their opening games.

Something appeared to have clicked in the first half. Chelsea did not look half as chaotic defensively as they have done at times this season, standing up physically to Brentford, winning duels and not allowing Keith Andrews ' side to dominate second balls.

Yet old habits had followed the visitors on their short trip across west London and once the first goal went past them they crumbled.

"To be able to understand the game, to know what it takes to be competing until the end, it's a process," said Alonso. "It takes time for them to feel it. At the moment we are not feeling it fully to compete for the whole game."

For Andrews, whose unbeaten side climbed to third in the table after continuing their excellent start to the season, the performance and result were not a surprise.

"I felt there was a performance bubbling," he said. "I just could see it in the players' eyes over the last couple of days. The approach has been really focused. I thought in the second half in particular we showed exactly what we are.

"There's a really nice connection at the moment between the fans and the players, and the club in general. It's growing all the time, I think everyone's enjoying the journey that we're on, especially me.

"I just love watching us play. I love being here, I love feeling that energy from the crowd and the way we play. We want it to be a very difficult place for teams to come."