Bracketed regularly together, holding the same ambition of European football for the first time, Brentford continue to hold the advantage. The chase may come down to one of them and Bournemouth were left frustrated by a 13th drawn game of the season.
On a midweek night when the Premier League resembled Prem Rugby – all hustle, grappling, kicking for territory and physicality usually closing off creativity – Brentford toughed it out. Following the final whistle the tension spilled over. Keith Andrews was at the centre of proceedings, though claimed to have “no idea” what started a ruck that involved Jordan Henderson and the Bournemouth assistant Shaun Cooper.
