Brentford managed to secure a valuable point on the road with a gritty 0-0 draw at Goodison Park against an Everton side that squandered a plethora of chances.
The result marked Brentford’s first away point of the Premier League season, despite playing with 10 men for the majority of the match.
The turning point came just before halftime when midfielder Christian Norgaard was shown a red card for a reckless challenge on Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, following a VAR review.
Despite being a man down, Brentford’s defense, led by goalkeeper Mark Flekken, stood firm against relentless Everton pressure.
The home side fired an incredible 27 shots on goal, but Flekken was in inspired form, pulling off a series of outstanding saves.
Everton’s ongoing struggles in front of goal were evident, with only Southampton scoring fewer goals than their tally of 10 this season.
The Merseysiders’ inability to capitalize on chances continues to haunt them, as they failed to break the deadlock.
Brentford, having lost all five of their away games prior to this match, are now in 10th place with 17 points from 12 matches. Meanwhile, Everton sit in 15th with 11 points from the same number of games.
In another Premier League clash, Ross Barkley’s late header helped Aston Villa earn a 2-2 draw against struggling Crystal Palace at Villa Park.
The match, played in difficult wet and windy conditions, saw Palace take an early lead through Ismaila Sarr.
Villa quickly responded with Ollie Watkins’ equalizer, but the home side then faced a setback when Youri Tielemans had his penalty attempt saved by Palace keeper Dean Henderson.
Moments before halftime, Justin Devenny put Palace back in front with a strike in stoppage time.
However, Villa’s resilience paid off in the 77th minute when Barkley, with his back to the goal, latched onto a corner and sent a header into the net to level the score.
Despite failing to win a Premier League match since September, Villa remain in 7th place with 19 points from 12 games. Crystal Palace, struggling near the relegation zone, are 18th with just 8 points.
