Ivan Toney’s goal drought stretched to 10 matches as Brentford fought out a 0-0 draw with west London neighbours Fulham.
The England striker found the net against Belgium in March but has not scored for the Bees since the middle of February and is now on his longest run without a club goal since playing for Peterborough in 2019.
Not that there was much riding on a distinctly low-key derby between two sides safe from relegation and nowhere near a place in Europe.
While Toney did not have a sniff at goal, Raul Jimenez should have won it for Fulham only to fire their best chance over.
Fulham had most of the ball but Brentford created the clearer opportunities during the first half, a case in point being when Willian surged forward only to turn and give the ball back to Toney.
The 28-year-old fed strike partner Bryan Mbeumo, who raced forward only to see his shot deflected on to the crossbar by a desperate challenge from Calvin Bassey.
The rebound fell to Keane Lewis-Potter, but his effort bounced straight into the arms of Cottagers keeper Bernd Leno.
Centre-half Pinnock briefly joined the Bees attack and his header across the penalty area found captain Christian Norgard, whose volley flew across goal and wide with Toney unable to get a touch at the far post.
Just before the break Keane Lewis-Potter chased a long cross-field ball towards the left corner, beat full-back Timothy Castagne and dinked an effort over Leno, but the danger was cleared by defender Issa Diop.
Fulham’s two best chances in the opening half fell to Alex Iwobi, who fizzed a drive inches over the crossbar and then embarked on a mazy run along the edge of the penalty area only to shoot straight at Mark Flekken.
The second half was all Fulham, looking for only their second win in seven short trips along the Thames.
Iwobi squared the ball to Andreas Pereira, who sidefooted his shot narrowly over from 20 yards.
Iwobi then lifted a cross to the far post, from where Rodrigo Muniz’s downward header was held by Flekken, before Castagne headed over from Pereira’s corner.
The points ought to have been Fulham’s with 15 minutes left when Adama Traore outmuscled Yehor Yarmoliuk and crossed for fellow substitute Jimenez, only for the Mexican striker to blaze a golden chance over from 15 yards out.
Flekken made a late save low down to deny Traore as the Bees held out for a point from a derby that will not live long in the memory.
Pep Guardiola cast doubt over his long-term Manchester City future after admitting he is running out of things to achieve following an historic fourth straight Premier League title.The battle for top spot went down to the final day but the reigning champions held their nerve at the Etihad Stadium, where they could not afford a slip-up with Arsenal breathing down their necks.Phil Foden’s fant...
Roberto De Zerbi would like to work in the Premier League again but insisted he does not have another job lined up as he bade farewell to Brighton with a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United.The Italian, whose departure by mutual consent was announced on Saturday, has been linked with a host of top European clubs.De Zerbi cited a difference of vision with Albion owner Tony Bloom as the reason for leavi...
Rob Edwards admitted the doubters were right about Luton after they were relegated from the Premier League following a final-day 4-2 defeat to Fulham at Kenilworth Road.Adama Traore opened the scoring for the Cottagers with Raul Jimenez on target twice and Harry Wilson rounding things off midway through the second half. Carlton Morris (penalty) and Alfie Doughty scored to make it 1-1 and 2-3, but ...
Oliver Glasner replied with an emphatic “no” when asked if he expected his first three months in charge of Crystal Palace would result in his new side equalling a best-ever top-10 Premier League finish.The mood was sour in south London when the Austrian took over a relegation-threatened Eagles side in February, a nadir best exemplified by the protest banners raised by a disillusioned f...
Mikel Arteta vowed Arsenal would come back stronger and win the Premier League after they suffered title heartbreak for a second season in a row.The Gunners claimed a late 2-1 win over Everton on the final day but Manchester City’s 3-1 victory at home to West Ham crowned them champions for a fourth consecutive year.Any chances of last-day jeopardy appeared minimal from the outset, but were r...
Erik ten Hag says Manchester United must “do everything” to repay the “best fans in the world” by lifting the FA Cup after his club suffered their worst Premier League finish.The 20-time English champions signed off a dismal top-flight campaign with a 2-0 win at Brighton but finished in eighth place – their lowest final position since coming 13th in the old first divi...
Nuno Espirito Santo said he would celebrate with “two or three beers” after Nottingham Forest made sure of their Premier League status with a 2-1 win at already-relegated Burnley.Chris Wood scored a brace inside the opening 15 minutes against his former club to eliminate any worries that Luton might have beaten Forest to 17th place – something that would have required an unlikely...
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou says a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League is a good achievement in his first season but insisted he has “lofty ambitions”.Spurs confirmed their place in next season’s Europa League with a 3-0 win at relegated Sheffield United on the final day of the season.Dejan Kulusevski’s double and Pedro Porro’s strike ensured they finished a...
Eddie Howe hopes Bruno Guimaraes was not bidding Newcastle a fond farewell after scoring the goal which clinched seventh place.Guimaraes capped a 4-2 win at Brentford with a late strike and celebrated in front of the away fans in a Toon bucket hat.The Brazil midfielder, linked with a move away this summer, then spent a long time waving to the travelling support after the final whistle.“I don...
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told Anfield to never stop believing and to welcome his successor Arne Slot like they welcomed him as “change is good”.Speaking at a presentation on the pitch, made by owners John W Henry and Tom Werner, chief executive Billy Hogan and Sir Kenny Dalglish after the 2-0 victory over Wolves, the German addressed the crowd and offered a positive outlook on th...
- 1 Sterling considering leaving the club
- 2 Major Liverpool star still an option for Real
- 3 Real Madrid star and fellow Brazilian ace in bizarre WAG SWAP
- 4 Marcus Rashford's new £700,000 Rolls Royce Wraith revealed
- 5 Mourinho to join Fenerbahce?
- 6 Jhon Duran bags brace as Aston Villa draw with Liverpool to boost top-four hopes
- 7 Nuno Espirito Santo achieves ‘main objective’ as Forest win secures survival
- 8 My footballer husband is unemployed but I can still contribute 50p
- 9 Celtic run riot against Kilmarnock to win another Premiership title
- 10 Ian Murray says Raith will improve for play-off final after shootout success