Leno's Stunning Late Save Denies Brentford a Spot in the Top Six After a Dull Fulham Draw

A lackluster west London derby between Brentford and Fulham ended in a 0-0 draw, with Bernd Leno's incredible stoppage-time save from Dango Ouattara being the highlight of the match. The Bees had the opportunity to move into the top six, but Leno's heroics denied them, and they instead remain level with sixth-placed Chelsea. The game was a dull affair, with few clear-cut chances for either side. However, in the dying moments, Ouattara thought he had won it for Brentford, only for Leno to tip his effort over the bar in spectacular fashion. From the resulting corner, Nathan Collins headed another golden chance wide, compounding the frustration for the home side. "These moments in the last minute are always the best," Leno said after the game. "It was a difficult one. I wasn't even sure if the ball was in or not, but then I saw all my teammates coming over to me. It was a good moment, and it was important for us because I think we deserved a point today." Brentford: Kelleher (6), Kayode (7), Van den Berg (7), Collins (6), Lewis-Potter (7), Jensen (7), Yarmoliuk (6), Damsgaard (6), Schade (5), Ouatarra (6), Thiago (6) Subs: N/A Fulham: Leno (8), Castagne (6), Andersen (7), Bassey (7), Sessegnon (7), Lukic (6), Cairney (6), Smith Rowe (5), Wilson (6), Iwobi (5), Muniz (5) Subs: Chukwueze (5), Raul (6), King (5), Robinson (n/a), Bobb (n/a) Player of the Match: Bernd Leno Fulham had won the last three derbies between the two teams but failed to register a shot on target all game, making it an uphill task for them to reach the European places with five matches remaining. Their best chance came through Ryan Sessegnon, who blazed over a good opening in the first half. Late on, Harry Wilson side-footed a decent opening wide after being played through down the right. Brentford had the better chances throughout, with Igor Thiago heading an early opportunity wide of goal when he should have hit the target. Keane Lewis-Potter scooped a golden chance over with the last kick of the half. In the second period, Mikkel Damsgaard clipped over from outside the box, and Lewis-Potter's goalbound hit Thiago from Michael Kayode's long throw. A fifth straight draw for Brentford moves them level with sixth-placed Chelsea but gives the teams below them the chance to move above them into seventh, which is enough for European football next season. Fulham, who lost Alex Iwobi to a first-half hamstring injury, could fall as far as 14th by the end of the weekend. Fulham head coach Marco Silva said, "When you come here, as always, you come with a mission to win the game. That's something that we have been able to do recently, three times in a row, not just here, but at the Cottage too. And we wanted to win the game. It was our ambition to win the game. Of course, when you draw a game, you should not be pleased if the ambition was to win." Brentford head coach Keith Andrews commented, "This game is quite a poignant one because it showcases for me where we've come in the space of seven months. At Craven Cottage on 25th September, when Fulham were the better team and deserved to win the game. I think you can now see the evolution of our team. They've been together for numerous years under the same head coach, and how we are a team? We're on that can compete with everyone in this league. So what I want to do is continue that mentality of play fearless, we're all in this together, and where that brings us, I'm not entirely sure." The draw marks five consecutive draws for Brentford, and six if you count the FA Cup fifth-round loss to West Ham on penalties. The stalemates are showing that Brentford's European bid is going stale. At full-time, Hard-Fi's song Hard to Beat rang round the Gtech Community Stadium, and that is certainly the case. But a third goalless draw in five Premier League games suggests that Brentford are becoming hard to watch too. Watching Brentford was once a guaranteed hit with goals flying in at the Gtech. But they still haven't won at home since January 7 - and it's all becoming a bit stuck for Keith Andrews, particularly at the top end of the pitch. They have the second-top goalscorer in Igor Thiago in their team, but there's not enough depth around him. Brentford's lack of options can clearly be seen through the fact they failed to make a substitution against Fulham. They only made one in the 2-2 draw with Everton - with not enough trust put in the likes of Reiss Nelson and exciting young winger Romelle Donovan to win the game from the bench. Brentford's injury list is significant, with no Vitaly Janelt, Fabio Carvalho, Antoni Milambo, and Rico Henry. But a lack of reliable options raises the question: if Brentford do make Europe, is it really worth it for them given their thin squad?