Key Takeaways
- Bernd Leno’s brilliant 90th-minute stop on Dango Ouattara rescued a point for Fulham.
- Brentford’s fifth straight league draw leaves them still outside the European places.
- Marco Silva’s men failed to muster a single shot on target, stretching their score-less run to five of the last six matches.
A last-gasp fingertip save from Bernd Leno denied Brentford victory and kept the west-London derby goalless at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday evening.
The German keeper flung up his left hand to turn over Dango Ouattara’s close-range bullet in the final minute, moments after he had already clawed away a Mikkel Damsgaard drive from the edge of the box.
The point extends Brentford’s win-less streak to five league outings, all draws, and means they remain three points behind sixth-placed Liverpool in the race for continental football next season.
Keith Andrews’ side dominated territory after the break but could not break down a Fulham defence marshalled by Calvin Bassey and rescued repeatedly by Leno.
At the other end Marco Silva’s visitors rarely threatened; their clearest opening came when Ryan Sessegnon blazed over from inside the area after clever approach play by Harry Wilson and Emile Smith Rowe.
The loss of Alex Iwobi to a hamstring injury just before half-time further blunted Fulham’s creativity, leaving Silva to lament: “Alex links everything for us – we hope the scan brings good news.”
Andrews, who made no substitutions, defended his decision to stick with the starters. “The bench was either very young or defensive-minded,” he said. “I believed the lads on the pitch could find a winner.”
Brentford, transformed after last summer’s exodus of key names and head coach Thomas Frank, stay seventh with four home London derbies now drawn this campaign – an unbeaten but frustrating record.
Fulham, 12th at kick-off, climb only one place despite the point and have scored just once in their last six games in all competitions.