GET FIT QUICK, CHRIS
Eriksen’s ovation was only highlight
BRENTFORD boss
Thomas Frank cannot get Christian Eriksen match fit quickly enough if this game is anything to go by.
Because if ever there was a game which needed an injection of the kind of quality the Dane can provide it was this one.
There was little spark and little imagination from either side on a tedious afternoon in west London.
In fact, the only seriously uplifting moment came 10 minutes before kick-off when the former Ajax, Tottenham and Inter Milan star was introduced to Brentford’s supporters.
Eriksen’s presence and his return to football was a reminder that there really are much more important things in life than the game itself.
Which was something the 23,000-odd Brentford and Crystal Palace supporters here could cling to as they shivered and suffered their way through these 90-odd minutes.
Frank said: “Unfortunately, I didn’t see the reception for Christian but a lot of people have said it was amazing and I hope I can see some video of it.
“I’m very pleased it was not only the Brentford fans but Crystal Palace fans – for everyone involved in football it was a big day.
“He got presented to our home fans but at the stadium to everyone and it will be even crazier and bigger the day he can step on the pitch and have match minutes.”
Frank, whose side kept their first clean sheet since November, added: “In general, I’m pleased and now we have a point.
“The big positive is we got a clean sheet.
“I’m very pleased that we were so solid and difficult to play against.
“The thing we need to do better is on the ball and have more quality in the final third.”
Eriksen should certainly
be able to bring them that.
Brentford had a penalty appeal when Marc Guehi’s arm shot up as he defended a first-half corner and made contact with the ball, but referee Simon Hooper insisted Christian Norgaard had caused it with a push and VAR John Brooks agreed.
Frank said: “I have watched it and I don’t think it was a penalty. I would have hated that given against us.”
Clear -cut chances were few and far between at either end, with Joel Ward doing enough to put off Yoane Wissa as he got on the end of Mathas Jensen’s low cross.
At the other end, Odsonne Edouard released Jordan Ayew with a well-weighted pass but the Ghanaian didn’t pull the trigger soon enough.
Wilfried Zaha took a break from complaining about anything and everything for long enough to fire a longrange shot at goal but the effort was saved by David Raya.
If the first half was bad, the second half was arguably worse with even fewer openings and it took almost half an hour of it for a chance to be created.
Pontus Jansson, the pick of the bunch in terms of man of the match, rose well and Vicente Guaita made a reasonable save.
Although even if he hadn’t there were enough covering defenders to have prevented the goal.
Joachim Andersen tried to settle matters with the final kick of the game from 20 yards but after Raya took the sting out of it he gathered it easily enough.
Palace boss Patrick Vieira (left) said: “There are positives that we have to take from that game.
“I’m really pleased with our defensive organisation.
“I was really pleased with how we competed for the second ball but we didn’t link well enough to create more chances – the draw was a fair result.
“We kept our organisation and our discipline.”
Our defensive organisation was great but we didn’t link well enough to create more chances so a draw was a fair result