Brentford vs Crystal Palace. Premier League.
Gtech Community StadiumAttendance16,958.
Match report and free highlights as Brentford and Palace play out a 0-0 draw; Sergi Canos and Jordan Ayew missed the pick of the chances in a tight game; Brentford had a penalty claim turned down after a Marc Guehi handball, while Wilfried Zaha was denied a spot-kick in stoppage time
Saturday 12 February 2022 18:40, UK
Crystal Palace maintained their two-point lead over Brentford in the Premier League as the two sides played out a frustrating 0-0 draw in west London.
The afternoon began on a high for Brentford when Christian Eriksen was introduced to the home fans following his signing last month, and the former Tottenham and Inter Milan midfielder was greeted by a standing ovation.
But neither set of fans had much to cheer once the game began as Brentford and Palace - who have just one Premier League win between them in 2022 - played out a timid draw.
The first incident of note came when Marc Guehi made the decision to slap away a Brentford corner with his hand, but the Palace defender earned a reprieve when Simon Hooper awarded him a free-kick for a push by Christian Norgaard.
Bryan Mbeumo was then thwarted by Vicente Guaita after the Palace goalkeeper was quick to rush off his line, while Sergi Canos should have done better after meeting a cross from the left but skewed his header wide.
Palace's best chance of the first half fell to Jordan Ayew after Brentford gave the ball away on the halfway line. Odsonne Edouard played the Ghana international into space on the right of the Bees' area but he blazed his effort over David Raya's goal.
Both teams struggled to create chances in the second half, with Guaita's denial of Pontus Jansson at short range the pick of the action after half-time.
Wilfried Zaha, who earlier clashed with Jansson after being shoved to the floor by the Bees defender, thought he should have earned a penalty in stoppage time, but Hooper waved away his protests following Rico Henry's tackle.
The result extends Brentford's winless run to six Premier League matches, while Palace have not claimed three points in their last five games.
Brentford came into the game on the back of five successive defeats in the Premier League, so they will no doubt be pleased to have put an end to such a dispiriting run.
Thomas Frank appeared to set up his side with the primary intention of not losing, and they were reluctant to take too many risks when in possession.
The Bees ended the match with a passing accuracy below 70 per cent, and that figure fell to below 60 per cent when they entered the Eagles' half.
Patrick Vieira also seemed reluctant to take the handbrake off his side, who have now not won in the league since a 3-0 victory over Norwich in December.
Remarkably, neither Palace nor Brentford had a player flagged offside during the game - a clear sign of both sides' unwillingness to gamble with the point they ultimately earned.
While both clubs are struggling for form, their happiness to settle for a share of the spoils is understandable.
Brentford are seven points clear of the relegation zone ahead of Norwich's game against Manchester City on Saturday evening, while Palace are now nine points away from the danger zone, and by avoiding defeat, both teams know they are inching towards securing their Premier League futures for another year.
Thomas Frank admits Brentford need to show more quality in attack as he welcomed the prospect of Christian Eriksen lining up for his side.
The Denmark international, who has signed a six-month deal with Brentford, is expected to play in a behind-closed-doors friendly next week before a potential debut at Arsenal next Saturday.
"It's very pleasing, not only for the Brentford fans but also for the Palace fans," said Frank after Eriksen was presented to supporters. "For everyone in football it's a big day.
"It will be even crazier when he gets on the pitch and plays. There are a lot of positives to look forward to. I think in general I'm pleased we got a point. Today if there should have been a winner it was us.
"It was a big positive to get a clean sheet, but we need to do better on the ball, have more quality in the final third. I'm a positive man so I will look at it as a good point. But I'm also eager and want to have more, to do more.
"I like the consistency in the performance. We gave very little away. We need to do more offensively, but I think one day we'll just be explosive."
Patrick Vieira was unwilling to criticise referee Simon Hooper for not awarding his side a penalty for Rico Henry's stoppage-time tackle on Wilfried Zaha, and instead focused on his own side's shortcomings.
"From where I was it's difficult for me to comment," he said when asked about the potential spot-kick. "But one of the reasons we don't score goals is the lack of players inside the box.
"If we want to score goals we need players in that area. Those moments and those situations are massively important for us and the players need to understand it."
In truth, it was a game low on quality, but Bryan Mbeumo was the brightest spark on the field at the Brentford Community Stadium.
No Brentford player had more shots or created more chances than the Frenchman, who gave the impression that, if his side were to find a goal, he would be heavily involved in producing it.
Brentford visit Arsenal next Saturday at 3pm while Crystal Palace host Chelsea on the same day and at the same kick-off time at Selhurst Park.
