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Brentford end Palace’s unbeaten run with first win at Selhurst Park
Brentford made it back-to-back Premier League away wins with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Bryan Mbeumo’s retaken penalty and a Kevin Schade header gave the Bees only a second win in 10 matches across all competitions.
The visitors broke the deadlock midway through the second half – Mbeumo was on target from 12 yards, but only after the referee ordered a retake due to encroachment after his first spot-kick hit the post.
Schade secured the points when he nodded in Mikkel Damsgaard’s cross ten minutes from time, though debutant Romain Esse grabbed a late consolation for the Eagles.
Thomas Frank’s side stay 11th but move four points clear of Palace, who remain 12th.
How the match unfolded
Both sides went close in the first half. Eberechi Eze’s neat flick released Jean-Philippe Mateta, who stung Mark Flekken’s palms with a fierce strike, while Dean Henderson got down well to claw away Yoane Wissa’s deflected low drive at the other end.
The hosts almost took the lead after the break when Eze’s free-kick deflected onto the post, but it was Brentford who struck first in the 66th minute following Maxence Lacroix’s trip on Nathan Collins.
Mbeumo struck a post with his initial penalty but, after Marc Guehi was penalised for encroachment following a VAR review, the forward made no mistake with his second attempt, sending Henderson the wrong way.
Schade gave the visitors breathing space by doubling the lead in the 80th minute, beating his marker to bravely head in Damsgaard’s inviting delivery.
Palace halved the deficit five minutes later when Daniel Munoz helped Eze’s deep ball back across goal for Esse to tuck home, with his very first touch in the Premier League, but it was not enough to extend the hosts’ five-match unbeaten league streak.
Eagles’ unbeaten streak grounded
Oliver Glasner’s side appeared to have turned a corner recently, with a run of five Premier League games without defeat lifting them to 12th in the table.
Their confidence was evident as they made a positive start, with Eze getting a shot away inside the opening 15 seconds.
Mateta also called Flekken into action, while it took a brilliant last-ditch sliding challenge from Collins to deny Eze another sight of goal.
The woodwork then thwarted Palace and Eze with his 57th-minute free-kick, which almost snuck in after a big deflection off the wall, before they fell behind to the retaken penalty.
Schade’s header gave them a mountain to climb, though substitute Esse gave them hope – taking just 119 seconds of his Premier League debut to make his mark with a goal.
However, it just proved too little too late for the Eagles, who suffered their first defeat in seven home league meetings with Brentford, and now Glasner will seek a response from his players when he takes them to Old Trafford to face Manchester United next Sunday.
Bees win back-to-back on the road
Looking to close the gap on the top half of the table, Brentford will not have been overly confident ahead of facing in-form Palace. After all, they arrived at Selhurst Park boasting just one win from a possible nine across all competitions.
And after maintaining their defensive discipline for so long, they edged their noses in front via Mbeumo’s penalty – albeit in somewhat fortuitous circumstances.
Although, after Schade doubled the lead, Esse ensured they would be in for a nervy finish, especially considering Brentford had conceded six Premier League goals in the 90th minute or later this season.
Nevertheless, Frank’s side held out to make it back-to-back away league wins for the first time in nearly 18 months.
The Bees can look forward to two more Premier League London derbies against struggling Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United – both of which they will enter with their tails up.
Club reports
Crystal Palace report | Brentford report
Match officials
Referee: Tony Harrington. Assistants: Marc Perry, Richard West. Fourth official: Tim Robinson. VAR: Darren England. Assistant VAR: Akil Howson.
PREMIER LEAGUE