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Premier League | Gameweek 3

Aug 26, 2023 at 3pm UK

Brentford Community Stadium

Brentford
1 - 1
Crystal Palace

Schade (18')

FT(HT: 1-0)

Andersen (76')

Joachim Andersen rescues point for Crystal Palace at Brentford

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 26 August 2023

Crystal Palace and Brentford share the spoils for the fifth game running as the Eagles fight back to rescue a 1-1 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Crystal Palace and Brentford shared the spoils for the fifth game running as the Eagles fought back to rescue a 1-1 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium.

A stunning solo goal from Kevin Schade saw Thomas Frank's men deservedly enter the break ahead, but Roy Hodgson's men were a team reborn after the break and levelled in scrappy circumstances through Joachim Andersen.

Seeking to assert their attacking dominance from the first whistle, Brentford had the ball in the back of the net just four minutes in through Yoane Wissa, but his early strike was cancelled out for a foul on Andersen.

Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo had filled Ivan Toney's boots exceptionally well, but the duo took a backseat to watch the Schade show in the 18th minute, as the German danced his way through Palace challenges on the left-hand side of the box before picking out the far corner with a crisp strike - his first goal in Bees colours.

A torrential downpour soon ensued, disrupting the flow of both teams for a short period, but Brentford's attacking trident soon rediscovered their rhythm and combined for a Wissa header in the 39th minute, but the unmarked winger sent his effort over the bar.

Both sides enjoyed forays forward early in the second half, and Palace's effervescent playmaker Eberechi Eze went down inside the box in the 54th minute, but neither referee Peter Bankes nor the VAR room was interested.

Palace tried to force the issue as the second half progressed, but Mark Flekken stood tall to tip Odsonne Edouard's free kick over the bar in the 68th minute, before denying Jefferson Lerma and Jordan Ayew in quick succession from a corner.

The Eagles' pressure would eventually pay off, though, as in the 76th minute, a one-two between Andersen and Ayew ended with the Danish defender squirming the ball under Flekken and over the line from a tight angle, despite Aaron Hickey's best efforts to hook the ball away.

Brentford piled on the pressure in the dying embers, but Hodgson's men defended admirably to hold out for a draw, and both sides now turn their attention to the EFL Cup, as the Bees prepare to travel to Newport County while Palace face Plymouth Argyle.