Brentford 0-0 Wolves: Bees' winless run continues

Brentford had to settle for a point in a 0-0 draw with Wolves, despite dominating for long spells.

The Bees came closest to taking maximum points when reported Middlesbrough and West Ham target Jota side footed against the post just before the break. And top scorer Neal Maupay will rue a gilt-edged chance just before the hour when he blazed over from three yards with the goal gaping after a neat Romaine Sawyers header set him up.

But the visitors also spurned a series of second-half chances to maintain their early-season charge in a cat-and-mouse game between two entertaining sides. Bees skipper Nico Yennaris, taking the armband from Harlee Dean, was first to get a shot away with a 20-yard effort that flew just over after two minutes.

Wolves had keeper John Ruddy to thank for keeping the score deadlocked when he dived full stretch to somehow tip Sawyers' 30-yard thunderbolt wide with 10 minutes gone. Ollie Watkins almost made Ruddy pay for a moment of madness when he fired his goal kick against his own defender, but the former Exeter man fizzed his angled drive wide of the far post.

Wanderers came into the game more as the half wore on with some incisive running and passing down Brentford's brittle-looking right flank. Winger Ruben Vinagre forced a smart save low at the foot of his post from Brentford 'keeper Daniel Bentley, who had to be quick off his line minutes later to deny Leo Bonatini an almost carbon-copy chance.

Brentford were doing all the pressing but Wolves, with record signing Ruben Neves pulling the strings, were always a threat on the counter attack. But the hosts thought they had got the breakthrough their slick passing game deserved on 39 minutes.

Watkins fed lively striker Maupay wide left and his slipped pass fell invitingly for Jota but the Spaniard's cool right-footed finish hit the post and drifted out to safety. Maupay's miss was the first effort after the break and his failure to convert it gave Wolves fresh hope, the dangerous Diogo Jota flashing a shot past the far post after cutting in from the left.

Both sides tested each other out in a fascinating second 45 minutes, and Ivan Cavaleiro headed Vinagre's deep cross into the side netting. Diogo Jota grew in stature as the game went on, but it was a poor Bentley clearance that almost gifted him the breakthrough strike but his first-time effort was blocked by the keeper to atone for his error.

Sawyers skied a late effort over the bar for the Londoners before Dicko somehow managed to head Jota's far-post cross upwards instead of in deep into injury time.

Brentford managed their first clean sheet of the campaign, but almost gifted Wolves the points deep into injury time with a kamikaze Yennaris free-kick which was blocked, leading to a five-on-one Wolves break which ended when Dicko strayed well offside.

Brentford boss Dean Smith: "Our performance was really good and we gave them plenty of problems.

"Normally you'd put your house on Jota scoring the chance he had today, but at the other end I'm pleased the boys got the clean sheet their performance deserved."

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo: "It was a very good game of football between two teams trying to play quality football. Offensively it was really tight and gave us an interesting challenge we have not faced before.

"I said Brentford would be a very difficult game and it was. They are in a totally false situation in the league table and I have told their manager that. They had good chances and we had good chances so three points is best but one point is good."