Crystal Palace maintained their two-point lead over Brentford in the Premier League as the two sides played out a frustrating 0-0 draw in west London.
The afternoon began on a high for Brentford when Christian Eriksen was introduced to the home fans following his signing last month, and the former Tottenham and Inter Milan midfielder was greeted by a standing ovation.
But neither set of fans had much to cheer once the game began as Brentford and Palace – who have just one Premier League win between them in 2022 – played out a timid draw.
The first incident of note came when Marc Guehi made the decision to slap away a Brentford corner with his hand, but the Palace defender earned a reprieve when Simon Hooper awarded him a free-kick for a push by Christian Norgaard.
Bryan Mbeumo was then thwarted by Vicente Guaita after the Palace goalkeeper was quick to rush off his line, while Sergi Canos should have done better after meeting a cross from the left but skewed his header wide.
Palace’s best chance of the first half fell to Jordan Ayew after Brentford gave the ball away on the halfway line. Odsonne Edouard played the Ghana international into space on the right of the Bees’ area but he blazed his effort over David Raya’s goal.
Both teams struggled to create chances in the second half, with Guaita’s denial of Pontus Jansson at short range the pick of the action after half-time.
Wilfried Zaha, who earlier clashed with Jansson after being shoved to the floor by the Bees defender, thought he should have earned a penalty in stoppage time, but Hooper waved away his protests following Rico Henry’s tackle.
The result extends Brentford’s winless run to six Premier League matches, while Palace have not claimed three points in their last five games.
