Football Review | Brentford 2 - 2 Cystal Palace
A very entertaining but ultimately frustrating match if you're a Brentford fan
Dango Ouattara struck twice as European hopefuls Brentford came from behind on two occasions to claim a point against Conference League finalists Crystal Palace
Author | Craig H
Stadium | Gtech Community Stadium
The visitors arrived without a win in their previous five Premier League matches but were handed an ideal opportunity to make a fast start when Caoimhin Kelleher brought down Ismaila Sarr inside the area after only two minutes.
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Referee Sam Barrott initially dismissed Palace’s appeals before being sent to the pitchside monitor, with Sarr calmly converting the resulting penalty for his 21st goal of the season in all competitions.
Brentford struggled to find rhythm during the first half but levelled in fortuitous fashion when Jaydee Canvot’s attempted headed clearance struck Ouattara in the face and looped into the far corner, their only effort on target before the interval.
The home side emerged with greater intensity after the break
Despite this, they fell behind again when Wharton’s low strike slipped underneath Kelleher and into the net.
Ouattara was denied late on by Dean Henderson, though the winger would have the final say as his close-range header secured a potentially valuable point for Brentford.
Keith Andrews’ side remain eighth, a position that would secure qualification for next season’s Uefa Conference League, while Palace stay 15th.
Palace looking ahead to Conference League final
When Palace lost to Bournemouth a fortnight ago, manager Oliver Glasner compared the 3-0 defeat to attending a friend’s birthday party just days before your wedding.
In Glasner’s analogy, the “wedding” was Palace’s Conference League semi-final second leg against Shakhtar Donetsk, which his side won 2-1 to book their place in the final.
With attention now fixed firmly on the showpiece against Rayo Vallecano in 10 days’ time, Glasner made five changes to the side beaten by Manchester City in midweek, leaving Jean-Philippe Mateta, Chris Richards and Jefferson Lerma among those on the bench.
There were no colourful comparisons this time, as Palace controlled long periods of the contest, though Glasner will feel his side should have taken all three points.
The afternoon was made worse by injuries to two centre-backs, Chadi Riad and Richards, late in the second half.
Richards had to be helped off the pitch after going down during stoppage time, leaving him a doubt for next weekend’s final-day meeting with Arsenal and potentially the Conference League final in Leipzig.
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