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Alejandro Garnacho has been slammed for “switching off” as Chelsea let victory slip through their fingers against Brentford.
The Argentine forward looked set to help the Blues to three points on his debut.
The former Manchester United man had teed-up Moises Caicedo for his late goal against Brentford. But Enzo Maresca’s side were pinned back in stoppage time as Fabio Carvalho escaped Garnacho’s grasp to equalise from a long throw in.
And he has been slammed for his role in the strike by former Premier League goalkeeper Shay Given. He said: “Chelsea didn’t heed the warnings. Keep an eye on Garnacho at the back, I know he’s an attacking player but he had a warning before.
“All Garnacho has to do is mark his man and Brentford don’t score. He switches off and reacts too late. His body shape is all wrong, he’s watching the ball, he should be glued to Carvalho, man-to-man.
“He switches off, he reacts after but it’s too late, the ball is in the back of the net. It’s poor defending, but Brentford deserve credit.”
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Given was not the only one to have criticised Garnacho for his role in Brentford’s equaliser. Jamie Redknapp was also critical of the former Man United star to simply not doing his job as Chelsea attempted to see the three points over the line.
"What happens as it develops is this is the key battle. Garnacho has a job to do, he's got to mark Carvalho," Redknapp said during Sky Sports' coverage of the game.
"That's your job. Simple as that. Don't lose him, you're now one of the defensive players in here. If he gets in behind you, it's on you. Everybody else is trying to win that first contact; it's not easy, Brentford have got some big guys.
"But Garnacho just falls asleep at the vital moment. Ball comes in, Garnacho's not concentrating, they get that contact and there [Carvalho] is at the back post."
Garnacho will certainly be hoping for better fortune over the coming weeks. Chelsea face a tough task as they get their Champions League campaign underway in midweek against German giants Bayern Munich.
Garnacho then faces a potential return to his former employers Man United, with Maresca’s side scheduled to travel to Old Trafford on Saturday.
The forward scored 26 goals in 144 appearances in all competitions with the club ahead of his move to Chelsea late in the summer transfer window.
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