Selhurst Park was the arena for a tight and tetchy encounter as Crystal Palace threw away their lead late on against a determined Brentford side.
Despite Wilfried Zaha scoring a stunning curled effort in the second half, Yoane Wissa’s 88th minute header saw Thomas Frank’s side steal a deserved point.
Palace were boosted by Zaha’s return, who’s three Premier League goals before tonight’s match have fired his team to a convincing draw away to Liverpool and a thumping win against Aston Villa.
The return of Michael Olise gave Palace fans something else to be happy about, with the Frenchman’s few cameo appearances so far this season sparking enough excitement to warrant his first start of the season.
Brentford made four changes to their team which snatched a point at home to Everton on the weekend, with England under-21 goal scorer Keane Lewis-Potter earning himself his first Premier League start.
The game was tight, with both sides having dominant spells throughout but lacking precision when it counted.
Only Zaha’s moment of magic and Brentford’s late determination saw the score line change in a scrappy midweek affair.
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Story of the match:
Ivan Toney rolled the matches’ first ball to get this London Derby underway under the lights at Selhurst Park.
The Bees’ had the games’ first chance three minutes in when Bryan Mbeumo and Toney linked up to cause disruption in the Palace box.
Palace fullback Joel Ward did enough to nullify the threat an prevent his side going behind early.
Brentford did not relent with their pressure, with the Palace defenders being tested much more than manager Patrick Vieira would have liked in the matches opening ten minutes.
Palace were not without their threat, however.
The fullbacks and wingers hugging the touchline giving them much more space to attack, with Nathaniel Clyne’s overlapping runs providing real concern for the opposition defence.
Olise gave Palace their first significant attacking moment of the match, but his whipped in ball from the right was far too powerful for Zaha.
Thomas Frank’s side were suffocating Palace though, giving them very little time to play out from the back due to the forward lines’ constant pressure on the defence.
The Eagles finally managed to string a decent length of possession together resulting in Eberechi Eze finding himself in space outside the penalty area to shoot.
His shot was slightly overcooked, but Palace were beginning to ease their way into the match.
Palace then nearly opened the scoring following a counter attack, with Jeffery Schlupp carrying the ball and unleashing a powerful shot towards Jose Raya, but the shot fell comfortably for the Brentford goalkeeper to claim.
The opening twenty minutes were scrappy from Palace however, with the south London side struggling to break Brentford down or produce any meaningful attacks.
Palace’s main attacking threat was Olise, who’s work along the right wing caused the most danger for Brentford.
But Olise alone was not enough for Palace, as Brentford remained patient whilst their opposition were in possession.
When attacking, the Bees exploited a seemingly unfocused defence and caused problems in the box, but neither team had the cutting-edge to change the score line.
But it was Palace who finally gave fans something to shout about, with Olise again being their biggest threat and slipping Zaha into a dangerous position in the box.
The Ivorian’s dazzling footwork was enough to startle the defence as he edged his way across the box to find the shooting opportunity.
While his shot was deflected away, Palace had finally produced something to test Brentford.
Just a few moments later, Palace had another golden opportunity after Marc Guehi performed excellently under pressure in his own box to delivers a ball over the top to Zaha.
Step overs and pace proved too much for Rico Henry who held Zaha as he approached the box, an incident not spotted by referee Simon Hooper.
The tide was beginning to turn in Palace’s favour, with decent attempts from striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and Olise only reaching as far as the solid Brentford defence.
Tensions were boiling in south London, with both teams visibly frustrated with the lack of end product.
Olise then produced another spark of brilliance, as his cross into the box meets Zaha, who choses to shoot from a tough angle rather than pass to an unmarked Eze.
The first half was marred with a lack of finishing quality from either teams. While Brentford’s pressing and counter attacking was admirable, they lacked the cutting edge to put them ahead.
Palace meanwhile didn’t show enough until too late into the first half, with all their attacking threat coming down the right wing through Olise who could only do so much on his own.
The second half began much as the first ended, with both teams littering the pitch with half chances.
Young star Lewis-Potter nearly opening the scoring early on, before Zaha found himself in his favoured position to the left-hand side of the keeper – neither converting.
Schlupp again nearly scored, after Cheick Doucouré battled prime Vieira-style to win the ball back outside the opposition area to lay it off to the Premier League winner.
The Ghanaian’s shot arrowed straight to Raya.
Olise nearly scored after a moment of beauty. Picking up the ball in the final third, he beat his man and shot outside the area but his attempt dragged narrowly wide.
The opening goal still eluded Selhurst Park.
Vieira’s plan to change this was to replace Mateta with Odsonne Edouard, with Mateta failing to make a significant impact on the game.
Palace looked the much more dangerous side in the second half’s opening ten minutes however, with Eze looking much livelier and stringing together much more threatening attacking opportunities.
Palace now pressurised the Brentford defence, with Zaha, Eze and Edouard making their presence felt across the back line giving their side the urgency they lacked in the first forty-five.
Doucouré too proved his worth, with Palace's new summer signing frequently breaking down potential Brentford counter attacks and springing attacks of his own.
The Malian's performance in Palace's second half influenced much of their best attacking and defensive play.
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That Moment of Magic
He was largely an absent presence throughout the first half, but it was Wilfried Zaha who produced that moment of magic to put his side ahead and liven up this London derby.
Palace’s persistent second half pressure finally paid off.
Zaha picked up the ball on the edge of the penalty area, two defenders in his personal space.
But that mattered little to Zaha who curled the ball perfectly into the top right corner with a blend of power and accuracy that only blesses the finest of forwards.
The Holmesdale Stand erupted as Palace led 1-0.
Palace finally sprung to life to take a grip of the game after taking the lead. Vieira’s side dominated possession and pushed high up the pitch, the momentum in their wings.
But Brentford do not give up.
Thomas Frank responded with the introduction of Mikkel Damsgaard, Frank Onyeka and Josh Dasilva looking to swing the match in Brentford’s favour.
And it was Dasilva who nearly made the instant impact after a mix-up in Palace’s penalty area left Joel Ward in No Man’s Land, leaving the substitute to shoot, but straight into the hands of Vincente Guaita.
After his curling effort, Zaha was oozing with confidence. He proved too much for Aaron Hickey, with the Scottish fullback pulling Zaha’s shirt after he zipped passed him.
Olise ensured Palace fans did not forget his contribution this evening, as he athletically seized possession and sprinted across the length of the half, but his resulting effort deflected wide.
Palace stepped up their performance in the second half and were reaping the rewards with their excellent attacking play.
But the Eagles could not relax just yet, with a Brentford corner coming to new summer signing Ben Mee, who’s effort flew narrowly across the Crystal Palace goal.
Despite Palace’s second half dominance, it was still all to play for under the floodlights.
Brentford would not sit back, with Frank introducing Yoane Wissa and Saman Ghoddos to replace defensive players in an attempt to equalise.
Vieira, however, responded to this by bringing on Tyrick Mitchell to sure up Palace’s defence as the game entered the final ten minutes.
But respond Brentford did.
After Cheick Doucouré failed to maintain Vitaly Janelt on the left wing, the German put in a teasing ball which met the head of Yoane Wissa, who confidently converted his headed effort past the helpless fingertips of Guaita in goal.
1-1. All to play for, and Brentford were not leaving south London without trying for all the points.
They pushed forward and they pushed Palace hard in the closing moments.
They nearly turned the game on its head twice with two moments that would have sent the away support into a frenzy.
Ben Mee's had his late effort hit the crossbar while Guaita remained confident and composed to smother another of Brentford final-moment attempts.
Zaha too had his chance to clinch a late winner, but Brentford were determined to leave south London with something to show for it and defended their point valiantly.
Patrick Vieira may be criticised for his tactical approach in the final fifteen minutes of the match, with the Frenchman opting to shut up shop despite Palace holding the momentum of the the match when he opted for this tactical shift.
But Brentford deserve immense plaudits for their determination and drive to force Palace's hand to earn themselves a very good away point.
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Player of the Match
Zaha will get the praise for his wonderful goal, but it was Michael Olise provided viewers with the most exciting moments of the match.
His footwork, work rate and rate of attacking output was the true attacking spark of his Crystal Palace side tonight when many other players around him seemed to have blown their fuses.
Especially considering this was his first start of the season, Olise deserves immense plaudits, with the twenty-year-old being tipped to have a fantastic season in red and blue.