Yoane Wissa’s 89th-minute header gave Brentford a point from a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Tuesday.
Wilfried Zaha’s sensational goal before the hour mark looked set to give Crystal Palace a London derby victory but it came apart when Thomas Frank threw everything but the kitchen sink at an equalizer.
The draw comes three days after the Eagles gave away a 2-0 lead at Manchester City, and Patrick Vieira will rue what could’ve been from some promising moments.
WATCH CRYSTAL PALACE v BRENTFORD FULL MATCH REPLAY STREAM
Zaha struck a sweet ball just inside the far upper 90 from the corner of the 18, pushing the South Londoners in front with about a half-hour to play.
Palace’s record moves to 1-2-2, good for a point fewer than 1-1-3 Brentford’s six points. The Bees haven’t won since beating Man United 4-0 In Week 2.
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What we learned from Crystal Palace vs Brentford
Quiet Toney is tough for Brentford: It was not a good day for the big star forward wearing the captain’s armband for Brentford. Ivan Toney is a complete center forward but he was poor in almost every facet of the game and wasn’t aided by new signing Keane Lewis-Potter on his right. Bees boss (Beekeeper?) Thomas Frank tried to help Toney by removing Lewis-Potter and a lively Bryan Mbeumo, but Frank Onywka and Joshua Dasilva didn’t add much to the striker’s day. Yoane Wissa was the last move, in the 79th. More on that below.
Crystal Palace has come together, but single moment has big cost: Rumors of Wilfried Zaha’s departure have been rampant as the Ivorian only has one year left on his deal, but what a shame it would be for him to leave for European football when Patrick Vieira’s men very much look capable of contending for a top-seven place. From Joachim Andersen at the back to Cheick Doucoure holding down the midfield to a variety of attacking options -- Zaha might’ve been the least-effective attacker apart from his moment of wonder -- Palace looked capable of flying quite high... if not for moments like Wissa’s winner, which came when the Eagles allowed a back-post overload.
Tactical focus
To put it frankly -- pun intended -- Thomas Frank had no answer for Cheick Doucoure’s control of the Brentford midfield. Changes kept coming but never unsettled the Eagles’ DCM, whose presence allowed Palace’s five attack-minded players to surge toward a Kristoffer Ajer-missing Brentford back line.
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Frank had a lot of potential answers for the many questions Doucoure and Palace were asking but Wissa’s had more than a couple of brilliant late contributions for Brentford and the ability to sub more than three players this season made all the difference for the Bees
Stars of the show
Cheick Doucoure -- Dominant six-tackle, two-key pass showing.
Michael Olise -- Lively on the right wing from the early moments through the final whistle.
Aaron Hickey -- Bologna import looking fit for the level in industry and ingenuity.
Joachim Andersen -- Steady force looks set for long stay.
Vitaly Janelt -- Good day that got better when he picked out Wissa for the equalizer.
What’s next?
Palace is off to fellow top-seven hopeful Newcastle United for a 10am ET Saturday kickoff, while Brentford hosts Leeds United at the same time.
How to watch Crystal Palace vs Brentford live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 2:30pm ET, TuesdayTV Channel: PeacockOnline: Stream via Peacock Premium
Crystal Palace team news, injuries, lineup options
Wilfried Zaha starts and Tyrick Mitchell is on the bench after late fitness tests, while Nathan Ferguson, Jack Butland, James Tomkins, and James McArthur are all out.
COME ON YOU PALACE #CPFC | #CRYBRE
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) August 30, 2022
Brentford team news, injuries, lineup options
Sergi Canos and Ethan Pinnock remain out with thigh and knee injuries respectively, while center backs Pontus Jansson and Kristoffer Ajer are both battling back to fitness.
🚨 𝙏𝙀𝘼𝙈 𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 🚨
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) August 30, 2022
➡ Janelt and Baptiste start
🆕 A full #PL debut for @LewisPotter_K #BrentfordFC | #CRYBRE | @BlueJeansNet pic.twitter.com/glHlUfNoZ9