Chelsea suffered a blow in their bid to qualify for next season's Champions League after being held to a 0-0 draw at Brentford.

Enzo Maresca left Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson on the bench following Thursday night's win over Tottenham and the visitors struggled to break Brentford down with Noni Madueke having their only shot on target in the opening 45 minutes.

It led to frustration from the away fans who chanted "attack, attack, attack" as Brentford created the best of the first-half chances.

Thomas Frank warned before the game that his side were ready to be aggressive against Chelsea and he was true to his word as Brentford put Maresca's side under pressure for the majority of the opening 45 minutes.

Malo Gusto and Reece James had their hands full with Kevin Schade and Bryan Mbeumo as Brentford pushed for a breakthrough.

Mbeumo flashed a left-footed shot past the upright after getting past James before his corner teed up Mikkel Damsgaard for the best chance of the half, but the midfielder's header was pushed away by Robert Sanchez.

Maresca turned to his bench immediately, bringing Jackson on at half time, while Palmer and Pedro Neto were called on just before the hour mark.

Jackson made an instant difference for the visitors, giving them an outlet that Christopher Nkunku didn't provide. Just minutes into the second half, the striker darted in between two defenders to latch onto a long ball before pulling his strike just wide of the far post.

Mark Flekken had to be alert to keep the scores level, denying both Neto and James with smart saves, with Chelsea pushing hard for a breakthrough.

Despite being pinned back for much of the second half, it was Brentford who finished with a flourish as Sanchez denied Mbeumo before Sepp van den Berg headed over from inside the six-yard box under no pressure.

There was still time left for one final chance for the visitors and it fell to Palmer, who, with the last kick of the game, curled a shot inches over the crossbar. Palmer fell to his knees in frustration as the ball grazed the top of the net as Chelsea, who are now eight games without a win on the road, dropped crucial points in what is becoming a congested race to qualify for the Champions League.

Maresca: Not all the players were 100 per cent fit

Maresca defended his team selection in his post-match press conference, suggesting not all of the players were 100 per cent fit to play the full 90 minutes.

On rotating his team from Thursday's win, he said: "The reason why is we played Thursday night and not all of them were 100 per cent.

"The idea was to start in one way and finish another way. The plan almost worked.

When pushed further on not starting Palmer and Jackson, he added: "I'm here to try and do the best for the club and the players.

"I work every day with the players, so I see how they are."

Maresca's selection gamble backfires

Sky Sports' Oliver Yew at the Gtech Community Stadium:

Eyebrows were certainly raised when the Chelsea team sheet came in with no Palmer or Jackson in the starting XI.

Both players returned from injury in the win over Spurs on Thursday and with the quick turnaround to Sunday, Maresca left his key attacking options on the bench. What is he saving them for? The Conference League quarter-final against Legia Warsaw on Thursday?

It was certainly a gamble, especially with Chelsea handed the chance to cement their position in the top five and close the gap to third-placed Nottingham Forest after their defeat to Aston Villa.

What ensued was a lacklustre first-half performance from Chelea, who lacked cutting edge without Palmer and Jackson.

Maresca knew it and quickly introduced Jackson and Palmer, and Chelsea's outlook completely changed. Jackson gave them a focal point and Palmer, along with Pedro Neto, gave the Blues plenty of attacking impetus.

However, in the end, neither player could help help break the deadlock with the point leaving Chelsea looking nervously over their shoulder at the chasing pack in the race for Champions League qualification.

Teams

Brentford Flekken; Ajer (Kayode 83), van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard (c), Yarmoliuk (Janelt 66), Damsgaard (Jensen 83); Mbuemo, Wissa, Schade
Subs Not Used Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Mee, Konak, Maghoma
Booked van den Berg
Goals

Chelsea Sanchez, James (c) (Cucurella 77), Tosin, Chalobah, Gusto, Caicedo, Dewsbury-Hall (Palmer 59), Madueke (Neto 59), Fernandez, Sancho, Nkunku (Jackson 46)
Subs Not Used Jorgensen, Acheampong, Badiashile, Colwill, George
Booked Gusto, Tosin, Fernandez
Goals

Attendance 17,183

Referee Michael Oliver

VAR Stuart Attwell