Chilwell’s goal was his third in three games for Chelsea and England combined, and the third in his last three Premier League appearances stretching back to last season, but it was action at the end of the second half, when Mendy stood between Brentford and an equaliser that seemed likely, that was just as much the talk of west London after the final whistle.‘I'm happy to score a goal but I think we have got to thank Edou,’ insisted Chilwell following the 1-0 win.‘I don't know how many saves he made but there were a lot of very important saves and he does it every week for us. He bails us out, whether it's once or twice, or in this game on several occasions. He’s a world-class goalkeeper and is the one we've got to thank.

‘It just gives you confidence when you know you've got someone like that behind you that comes to collect the ball from crosses, is a brilliant shot-stopper and good with his feet.‘We see it every day in training but now he's getting the credit he deserves and in these sorts of games where he makes big saves, he gets us the three points in the end.‘Brentford asked a lot of different questions,’ Chilwell confirmed.‘They like to play the ball forward quickly. They've got some players up front who are very good in the air and like to flip balls on, hold the ball up, bring other people into play, win second balls. It’s something we're not used to playing against as much so it causes a few different problems, but in the end we've got the clean sheet.

‘It was very tough, their fans are behind them, they were growing in belief as the game went on, we were getting tired, but our mentality was there, we were putting our bodies on the line.‘In the first game after internationals, the performance isn't anywhere near as important as a result, and we got the result.’The England defender returned to the subject of his goal that divided the teams in this game, a crisp strike after the ball came back to him on the edge of the area.‘It's one of those ones, as soon as it leaves your foot, you're pretty sure that if it's on target, it's going to go in. I'm happy to score and help us get the three points, which after an international break is very important.’