West London rivals Brentford and Fulham play out nervy stalemate
With their Premier League status for next season secured, the pressure was off Thomas Frank’s Brentford, which resulted in an open first half.
The Bees were coming up against a Fulham side who’ve struggled in recent weeks with just one win in six games, but with no real targets for the remainder of the campaign, they were also free of intense scrutiny.
A free-flowing end-to-end start produced chances for both sides, as Saša Lukić saw an effort whistle over the bar before Bryan Mbeumo was played in-behind by Ivan Toney, but the Cameroon international’s effort clipped the crossbar.
Fulham began to have more possession as the half wore on and it drew frustration from the home crowd, with all the chances falling to the Cottagers, though they weren’t able to trouble Mark Flekken in the Brentford goal.
Alex Iwobi got a shot away after cutting in from the right wing, but saw his effort comfortably saved by Flekken.
Frank’s men turned the momentum of the game as HT beckoned however, and almost took a lead into the break after Christian Nørgaard got on the end of Toney’s flick-on, but the midfielder wasn’t able to poke it home.
Marco Silva’s Cottagers were on top after the restart, and Rodrigo Muniz should have netted the opener after being picked by Iwobi, but his header was easily gathered by Flekken.
Fulham’s momentum was stunted somewhat by a delay to treat a facial injury sustained by Timothy Castagne, and once play resumed, the tempo had dramatically lowered.
Both coaches turned to their respective benches after the hour mark, and the two Fulham players introduced - Adama Traoré and Raúl Jiménez - combined for the best chance of the afternoon, but the Mexican striker failed to beat Flekken from Traoré’s cross.
The game rather inevitably petered out in the final stages, with neither side coming close to threatening the opposition goal as they settled for their first draw in five H2H meetings.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mark Flekken (Brentford)
