Bournemouth and Brentford played out a goalless draw in a match from the 29th round of the English Premier League. Despite the lack of goals, fans at the Vitality Stadium didn't see a single net ripple. This result meant the 'Bees' missed a golden opportunity to climb into a European qualification spot, even if only for 24 hours, ahead of Chelsea's visit to Aston Villa in Birmingham tomorrow. Bournemouth also could have intensified the battle for European club competitions but currently sit five points adrift of the top six.
Former Ludogorets player Igor Thiago, one of Brentford's top scorers this season, started the match and played the full 90 minutes. However, he had a disappointing outing, failing to score or provide an assist. This season, the Brazilian boasts 18 goals, 1 assist, and a notable 6 yellow cards in 28 Premier League appearances.
Before the break, the hosts created the more significant chances and certainly had reason to regret not going into halftime with at least a goal. About ten minutes before the end of the first half, Ryan Christie headed the ball in the six-yard box, but it sailed over the crossbar. Approximately 180 seconds later, the same player was again agonizingly close to scoring, with his shot this time going wide of the right post. In added time, Marcus Tavernier forced visiting goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher into a brilliant save, diving low to his left corner.
Just three minutes after the restart, the home side created their fourth serious threat, and this time Tavernier beat Kelleher, but the left post proved to be the final barrier before a goal.
The visitors, on the other hand, failed to create anything meaningful from open play, forcing them to rely on set-pieces. They came very close a quarter of an hour before the end when defender Sepp van den Berg headed a free-kick delivery, but Djordje Petrović was cool enough under his own crossbar to make the save.
Immediately on the counter-attack, Tavernier, the most active player for the 'Cherries,' hit the woodwork again. Two minutes later, his teammate Evanilson scored a goal that was disallowed, and surprisingly, VAR wasn't even consulted for a review. In the third minute of added time, the hosts had their final opportunity, making yet another miss. This time, Tavernier could have turned provider, setting up substitute Eli Kroupi in the box, who unleashed a powerful shot that went wide, ultimately extinguishing the hopes of the Vitality faithful for a legitimate goal.
This result marked Bournemouth's eighth consecutive match without a loss. The 'Cherries' will have a break next weekend as they are no longer involved in the FA Cup, which takes center stage this coming weekend. Andoni Iraola's men will next be in action on Saturday, March 14th, at 5:00 PM Bulgarian time (3:00 PM GMT) when they visit newly promoted Burnley.
Brentford, meanwhile, won't have much time to rest. Early next week, on Monday, March 9th, at 9:30 PM (7:30 PM GMT), they will travel to face London rivals West Ham in an FA Cup tie.