Bees denied by Brighton in dramatic finale
Brentford 3 Brighton 3
Brentford had to settle for a point after a sensational second half in which they surrendered a two-goal lead and then thought they had won it with a brilliant injury-time goal by Konstantin Kerschbaumer.
The strike was worthy of winning a gripping contest, but Brighton’s Tomer Hemed stole in to equalise with a close-range header in the seventh minute of injury time.
The Bees looked all set to carry on the momentum from their great midweek victory against Aston Villa when they scored two goals in seven first-half minutes through Jota and Harlee Dean.
And it should have been 3-0, but Lasse Vibe had a penalty saved on 56 minutes, and it gave Albion the lift they needed to get back in the contest.
They scored twice in three minutes through Solly March and Shane Duffy and in the end their refusal to admit defeat earned them their point.
Jota was outstanding for the Bees and grabbed his second goal since coming back to Griffin Park after his year away – finishing off the sweetest of moves after quarter of an hour by tucking in a low Josh Clarke cross – before supplying the corner from which Dean nodded home at the far post soon after.
And he earned the penalty from which Vibe should have made it 3-0.
Uwe Hunemeeir brought the flying winger down after Josh McEachran had fed him an inviting run on goal.
Vibe’s penalty was struck too close to Albion stopper David Stockdale, who was able to block the effort with a trailing leg.
Brentford: Bentley; Clarke, Dean, Bjelland, Field; Jota, Wood, McEachran (Kerschbaumer 88), Yennaris (McCormack 80), Jozefoon (Canos 69); Vibe.
Subs not used: Bonham, Hofmann, Egan, Sawyers.
