David Raya put on a sublime performance to help Brentford produce one of the goalless football results of the weekend in the Premier League. While the Bees, on a run of eight games without a loss, missed the chance to move up into the highly sought-after top six of the league, Jesse Marsch’s Leeds club was looking to put some distance between themselves and the bottom three. Brentford will benefit more from the deadlock since they have already amassed 30 points in the shortest time in their top-flight existence, while Leeds continues to cling to life by a thread in 18th place, one point ahead of Bournemouth. Rodrigo troubled Bees goalkeeper David Raya on a few occasions, and he also stopped Wilfried Gnonto and Brenden Aaronson from scoring. Leeds recorded six shots on goal to the visitors’ zero.
The host team had a miserable afternoon as they needed all three points badly after only winning two of their previous 16 games in the top flight, the fewest of any team in the division. Before this matchup, Leeds and Brentford had shared 14 goals in their three Premier League games, so it was reasonable to think that this latest matchup would include plenty of goalmouth action. Unfortunately, things turned out to be a little different. Throughout a scrappy and fragmented match, neither side contributed enough to earn a victory. Brentford failed to register a single shot on goal. The visitors probed in the first period, and Leeds answered in the second.
Despite the fact that Raya of Brentford was by far the busier goalkeeper and made the game’s pivotal stop by blocking Gnonto’s second-half attempt, the final third’s overall quality and inventiveness were disappointed. Marsch passed up the opportunity to use Leeds’ club-record signing Georginio Rutter off the bench in favor of inserting Patrick Bamford late in the game, who provided a stronger focal point. A few minutes from time, the attacker gave Luis Sinisterra a chance to score, but the substitute was crowded out before he could get the ball out of his feet. Then, as the game was coming to a close, Leeds supporters held their breath as Brentford right-back Mads Roerslev sneaked in at the far post only to regrettably shoot into the side-netting.
“Although we were stable, the performance was incredibly excellent, and we are unhappy that we did not get more out of it. We appeared in control even on set pieces against a talented squad,” Leeds head coach Jesse Marsch said. “The last-action quality was lacking, but it will appear. A solid tactical display that was flawless in many respects. There’s motion. We can tell we’re playing better and better, albeit it may not always show in the outcome. Brentford has excellent defensive stability. It is difficult to break them down because they have strong defenses. As goal scorers, we are confident. We haven’t had it easy when trying to get clean linens. quite powerful in the rear. Points in this league are expensive but in a good manner. Even if it’s difficult, we’re going to keep improving.”
“It ended in a 0-0 tie. Neither side was able to produce a significant opportunity or moment. Very little of our defense was given away. We displayed excellent attitude and mentality,” Brentford head coach Thomas Frank said. “We didn’t act cool enough that day. We had five or six chances in the second half to build a big chance, but we didn’t take advantage of them. It was the last quality we lacked in the present. Leeds plays with a lot of pressure and intensity; they are challenging to play against. I always want more, but I like the foundation, the solidity, and the way we defended today on a very challenging away field. In the Premier League, going eight games without a loss is exceedingly challenging. Only the top six can typically do that. Whenever you are unable to win for any reason, earn a point.”
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