Last-gasp Bees clip Eagles' wings at the last to keep amazing unbeaten run going
Brentford (0) 1 Janelt 90+6
Crystal Palace (0) 1 Eze 69
Brentford never know when they are beaten. Much more of this and we will start to believe they never will be.
Substitute Vitaly Janelt powered in a close-range header from a Bryan Mbeumo cross with the clock reading 90+6 to save the day for the Bees.
They preserved their unbeaten run – it is now 11 matches – while the Eagles were left to kick themselves in frustration for letting slip a winning position.
Their own super-sub Eberechi Eze appeared to have won it with his 69th minute header from a Michael Olise chip and it would have been their first win in eight – and first of 2023.
It would also have been the first away win against Brentford since Christmas Day 1957.
No wonder the Eagles’ outstanding player – Joachim Andersen – looked a picture of frustration.
But Thomas Frank’s side, though off key, kept pushing and kept believing. The substitutions made by the Dane as he chased the game made all the difference.
The dramatic finish was not quite in keeping with what had been a mostly humdrum encounter, and let’s be honest, this is a fixture which has often refused to engage us.
The three previous meeting yielded just two goals and three forgettable stalemates and the first half at least was in keeping with that trend. There was much physicality and endeavour on show but no real finesse.
Palace were hampered by the absence of Wilfried Zaha, which made their attacks over-dependent on Olise down the right.
In the first half, Olise forced David Raya to palm over after a rising shot arrowed towards the top corner, while Christian Norgaard half-volleyed just wide from the D and Bryan Mbeumo was off target from just outside the box after a side-step to open up a chance for that favoured left foot.
Norgaard came close twice to breaking the deadlock – glancing Mathias Jensen free-kick wide and then directing a left-footvolley into the arms of Vicente Guaita from the edge of the box.
Yet it was the visitors who stole a march and it looked for all the world that they might have done enough to claim all three points. The home side had other ideas.
Bees: (4-3-3) Raya – Hickey (Lewis-Potter 76), Pinnock, Mee, Henry (Janelt 76) – Dasilva (Damsgaard 62), Norgaard (Baptiste 84), Jensen – Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa (Schade 62). Subs not used: Cox, Zanka, Ajer, Roerslev
Eagles: (4-4-2) Guaita – Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell (Richards 82) – Olise (Ahamada 80), Doucoure, Sambi Lokonga (Eze 62), Schlupp – J Ayew, Mateta (Edouard 80). Subs not used: Whitworth, Milivojevic, McArthur, Hughes, Riedewald
