Raul Jimenez missed a glorious late chance as Fulham and Brentford shared a goalless draw in a Premier League match at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Both sides' Premier League winless runs were extended, with Brentford without victory in two matches and Fulham not triumphing in their last three.
It could have been a different story, though, if not for substitute Jimenez lifting a gilt-edged 73rd-minute opportunity over as Marco Silva's Cottagers failed to snatch that late chance.
The draw leaves Brentford – who saw Bryan Mbeumo denied by the crossbar in the first half – in 16th but with their Premier League status secure, while Fulham are 12th.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 |
Brighton
BHA
|
37 | -5 | 48 |
| 11 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
37 | -12 | 48 |
| 12 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
37 | -6 | 46 |
| 13 |
Wolves
WOL
|
37 | -13 | 46 |
| 14 |
Fulham
FUL
|
37 | -8 | 44 |
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
37 | -10 | 40 |
| 16 |
Brentford
BRE
|
37 | -7 | 39 |
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
37 | -19 | 29 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
37 | -31 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
37 | -36 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
37 | -66 | 16 |
How the match unfolded
A powerful effort from Alex Iwobi had Mark Flekken worried as his shot whistled over from the edge of the box in the eighth minute.
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A fast break from Brentford saw Ivan Toney slot a through-ball in behind the Fulham defence to Mbeumo, whose deflected right-footed shot cannoned off the woodwork before Keane Lewis-Potter fired straight at Bernd Leno.
Lewis-Potter again came close to finding the opener after 44 minutes as he burst into the box before lifting the ball over Leno, but Issa Diop recovered superbly to head it off the line.
Rodrigo Muniz might have felt he should have broken the deadlock early in the second half as his header from Iwobi's cross fell into the arms of Flekken.
Timothy Castagne popped up in the penalty area at a corner in the 60th minute but the full-back could not convert at the near post as his header flew into the stands behind the goal.
Jimenez's opportunity came as Adama Traore shrugged off his marker before picking out the Mexico striker, who somehow missed with the goal at his mercy.
Traore tested Flekken late on as the Fulham winger struck a vicious effort low towards goal but the Brentford goalkeeper got down well to ensure a point for his side.
Brentford struggle as Toney’s goal drought continues
Having netted four goals in his first five Premier League games after returning from suspension, Toney has not scored in any of his last 10.
He’s matched his longest run without a league goal since a run of 10 with Peterborough United between February and April 2019, while Brentford have suffered from his struggles.
Brentford won 2-0 against Sheffield United in their previous Premier League home match but only once this season have they won back-to-back league matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Their consecutive wins over Burnley and West Ham in October-November remain the only time they have achieved the feat as Thomas Frank's side failed to live up to last season's performances at home.
Poor finishing prevents three points for the Cottagers
Fulham have now stopped the opposition from scoring a first-half goal in 22 of their 36 matches, only Everton (23 matches) and Arsenal (25) have done this more often in the Premier League this season.
The Cottagers have also struggled in front of goal in the opening 45 minutes of games, failing to find the back of the net in the first half in 23 of their 36 top-flight outings this term.
The draw means Silva’s side remain 12th, albeit sitting only four points off the top half of the table with two matches remaining.
Club reports
Fulham report| Brentford report
