BRENTFORD and Fulham were both forced to settle for a point as they played out a 0-0 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon, reports the Voice of Sport from Gtech Community Stadium.
Of all the fierce London derbies down the years, this match certainly wasn’t cut from that same cloth, and even Adama Traore’s late burst of energy and enthusiasm couldn’t salvage what proved to be a rather uneventful stalemate in west London.
In fact, supporters would have been forgiven for perhaps confusing this Premier League clash in May with a pre-season fixture in July.
While both teams looked to push forward and create chances when they could, with neither side able to make any significant movements in the table before the season ends, it was clear that there was a real lack of motivation or sense of importance placed on this London derby.
Bryan Mbeumo went closest in the first half, with Ivan Toney playing his teammate in after latching onto Willian’s sloppy back pass.
The forward found some space in the penalty area, but his strike was off the crossbar, with that attempt in the 13th minute the only notable chance of a rather lacklustre first half.
Alexander Iwobi and Kristoffer Ajer’s coming together, which forced the latter off with a head injury, was more reminiscent of a competitive London derby, but nothing much came of that flashpoint with referee Graham Scott blowing for half-time a few moments later.
Both teams struggled to move through the gears as the action continued in the second half and Scott was left with little to do until the 67th minute when Sergio Reguilon was shown the game’s first yellow card for a rather wild challenge on second-half substitute Traore.
There was a sudden flurry of action at both ends in the 73rd minute as Yoane Wissa saw his penalty appeals at one end ignored before Fulham quickly went up the other end, Traore leaving Yehor Yarmoliuk in a heap on the ground before crossing to Raul Jimenez who blazed the clearest chance of the match over the bar.
Traore’s introduction certainly changed the complexity of the match and offered Reguilon a little more to think about on the right side, with the winger forcing Mark Flekken into a smart stop as the game ticked over into the final ten minutes.
Despite spending just 32 minutes on the pitch, Traore was arguably the most influential player at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Both teams pushed for a late winner but there remained a real lack of quality in the final third and in the end the spoils were shared, with Brentford extending their unbeaten run at home to five matches, while Fulham made it 16 points in London derbies this season – their most such points from a single Premier League campaign.
https://www.voice-online.co.uk/sport/premier-league/2024/05/06/dull-stalemate-in-west-london-as-bees-are-held-by-fulham/
