Key events
FULL TIME: Brentford 2-1 Crystal Palace
A tight game whose best football was played by Palace, led by the gorgeous Eberechi Eze. But Brentford found a way to record a win more crucial that seems obvious at first glance, given the matches that await them in the next month.
90+4 min Mitchell crosses, a Brentford head clears, and that will that!
90+3 min Oh, and join Rob Smyth for this:
90+3 min Brentford have disappeared time really well today.
90+2 min Damsgaard swerves in the free-kick but Palace head clear. Brentford, though, collect the loose ball and keep their visitors pinned, Carvalho doing well to make a challenge to the delight of the fans.
90+1 min Ayew stretches, treads on Norgaard … and is booked.
90 min We’ll have four additional minutes.
90 min Another change for Brentford, Mee for Mbuemo – who’s played pretty well.
88 min Lerma paints a lovely oblique pass over the top, picking out Edouard’s diagonal run. But he can’t get his foot quite far enough around the outside of the ball, flicking it past the near post.
87 min Almost everything Palace do is coming through Eze and he takes possession outside the box, left of centre, runs at Collins, and rolls studs across the ball, taking him away from his man but wide than ideal, and his shot flies wide.
85 min Word to the wise: the name Onyeka reminded me of Tolá Okogwu’s Onyeka books, which my daughter really liked. If you’ve kids, I recommend.
84 min Oh and two more changes for Palace too, Hughes and Richards replaced by Doucoure and Sarr.
83 min Two more Brentford changes, Jensen and Wissa off with Onyeka and Carvalho – making his debut – coming on.
83 min After a succession of clever short corners, this one is near-post filth, and and Brentford clear easily enough.
82 min If there’s anyone going to save Palace it’s Eze, and he collects a pass from Mitchell, pilfers a yard and shoots, the ball flicking off Collins and forcing Flekken to dive right so he can shove behind.
79 min “Maybe they could be called Rod S’ewart and the Faces?” says Richard Hirst of our Brentford Band; “The Brentford Nylons” offers Colin Young.
78 min Brentford haven’t played well today but with Liverpool, Man City and Spurs away in three of their next four games, they badly need the points here. Somehow, they’re getting them.
GOAL! Brentford 2-1 Crystal Palace (Wissa 76)
This is a mess. Brentford work it down the left and when Lewis-Potter’s cross comes in it bounces nicely for Collins, who chests, swivels and shoots, the ball taking a flick off the defender that forces Henderson, who’s already dived low, to grab air as it rises higher, flapping away the immediate danger … but directly into the path of Wissa, who taps home!
74 min Now a change for Palace and it’s a surprising one, Wharton going off with Lerma coming on.
73 min Double change for Brentford, Lewis-Potter and Damsgaard for Janelt and Schade.
73 min “Clearly what Brentford needs is its own pub rock band,” offers Richards Hirst, “à la Kilburn and the High Roads, and Hatfield and the North.”
What would they be called? The Nowhere Men?
72 min Mbuemo, who’s played well, cuts across a low, skidding pass in behind, but Henderson is out to hump clear before Wissa can reach it.
71 min “There was some chatter pre-season wondering how Eze would be affected by the loss of Olise,” returns Mary Waltz. “Olise is a fine player, and Palace would still be better if they had retained him, but it doesn’t seem to hurt Eze one bit. He is a keeper.”
Yup, both are lovely players, able to combine aesthetics with productivity. They were lovely in tandem, though, and it’s a shame they’ve been split up.
70 min Change for Palace, Ayew replacing Kamada – who’s had an interesting debut, full of spikiness and imagination.
69 min But here they come now, Jensen trying a cross that Wharton turns away before Janelt tries a shot that gets nowhere.
69 min It’s a while since we saw Brentford as an attacking force; all the good attacking is coming from Palace.
67 min Thinking again about the Edouard disallowed goal, I’m not sure he had any business being ahead of the play – he had so much space, he might just’ve relaxed as there was no need for him to try and pinch every last fraction.
66 min I meant to say, Richards was booked a few minutes ago for a foul, just as Kamada was a few seconds ago for preventing a quick counter.
65 min Again, Palace work space for Wharton, a square pass allowing him to control and shoot from the edge; this time, the effort is at a decent height for Flekken and he fists away.
63 min Palace are on top now and win another corner, again taken short. They’ve clearly been working on these and this time they go backwards to pull defenders out of position, then send a reverse-pass into the vacated space for Hughes; when the cross comes in, Schade does well to clear.
61 min “Whatever the rights and wrongs of the decision,” begins Andy Flintoff, “(and I think it’s the right thing, as long as the same type of decisions are made throughout the season), Hughes was a bit dim in tripping the defender up right in front of the referee. If he’d withdrawn his leg, there’d be no decision to make, would there?”
I know what you mean, but the line of what’s allowed and what isn’t is a blurry one, especially given how often offences of this ilk go unpunished.
59 min Palace have taken over again and again it’s Eze to the fore. He pulls left, nashes forward, and slides a square-pass into the path of Edouard, who slips a confident finish under Flekken … only for the flag to go up for offside.
GOAL! Brentford 1-1 Crystal Palace (Pinnock own goal 57)
Excellent work from Munoz, who wins a brilliant header at the back post after Mitchell crosses from the left – of course, it was Eze who worked the space. Then in the middle, Pinnock – who won’t have expected the ball to come back – suddenly has to do something with Edouard lurking, so sticks out a leg and diverts past his own keeper.
54 min Brentford counter and Munoz has a stretch at Wissa, meaning Jensen or Mbuemo will now stick a free-kick into the box; it’s the latter and Gauehi makes first contact, then Schade has a massive wahey, booting the ball somewhere miles from anywhere; Selhurst Park, maybe.
53 min First half it was Eze looking dangerous, now it’s Wharton, and again teed-up on the edge, this time he lashes low across goal … and Flekken dives to shove away.
52 min Brentford now win a corner and Mbuemo tries a deep one to Janelt at the back post, but his volley loops behind for a goalkick.
50 min He goes short to Kamada, who shimmies then finds Wharton on the edge, who opens body for a curler … that hits Pinnock and flies wide. The resultant second corner comes to nowt.
50 min Meantime, Palace win a corner down the left, Eze trotting over to take.
49 min Make up your own minds. I don’t love this call, but I’m not raging at it.
47 min Brentford win a corner and when Palace don’t clear it properly, someone, Jensen I think, curls in a criss that Pinnock flicks on, Ajer just unable to divert it goalwards on the stretch at the back post.
