{"id":9943,"date":"2026-05-18T06:54:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T06:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=9943"},"modified":"2026-05-18T06:54:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T06:54:39","slug":"dango-ouattara-salvages-point-for-brentford-and-denies-crystal-palace-premier-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=9943","title":{"rendered":"Dango Ouattara salvages point for Brentford and denies Crystal Palace | Premier League"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Beware the opponent with little to play for. Crystal Palace were supposed to be in preservation mode, their attention on more exotic occasions. The ideal opponent for Brentford\u2019s chase for Europe. And yet. Adam Wharton scored his first goal in 94 Palace appearances, a first in the Premier League, his goal wreaking heavy damage. Dango Ouattara\u2019s second goal, a late second equaliser, set up 10, chaotic minutes of stoppage time but Brentford could not find a winner.<\/p>\n

The final whistle arrived with Brentford in eighth place, current permutations making that enough for next season\u2019s Conference League but there is final-day drama, and other factors besides, to see out.<\/p>\n

The Gtech\u2019s final home game of the season took place amid deep uncertainty. At Anfield next week, Keith Andrews\u2019 team must hope to profit from Liverpool\u2019s factional fissures, or else a season of high promise likely ends in disappointment. Destiny no longer lies in his team\u2019s gift. Sunderland, a point behind in ninth, face 10th-placed Chelsea next week, Brentford\u2019s London rivals having an extra game to play.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe emptied ourselves, played with personality and I just have immense pride,\u201d said Andrews. \u201cThe character is there in abundance and it will be there next weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

Andrews has done an exemplary job in replacing Thomas Frank but the pattern of last season, when chances to cement European football were squandered, might well be repeated. Progress counts for plenty \u2013 this was a season Brentford were supposed to struggle under a rookie manager \u2013 but a single win since February suggests a team low on energy. That situation requires addressing should European football arrive in the Twickenham postcode next season.<\/p>\n

In sunny, breezy conditions, Palace were dangerous from the start. The video assistant was called into play in the second minute when Caoimh\u00edn Kelleher slid into Isma\u00efla Sarr on the goalline. Penalty given. Sarr\u2019s run-up was minimal, his finish beyond Kelleher\u2019s reach set Brentford into a recovery mode that would later border on blind panic. \u201cUnfortunately we didn\u2019t quite hit our levels today, especially in that first half,\u201d said Andrews. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a pretty special season that could became even more special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eyes on Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig, Oliver Glasner was in rotation mode, five changes made. Wharton\u2019s and Sarr\u2019s selections made his team competitive. Players hoping to win a starting place in a European final can be dangerous, as Brentford found to their cost.<\/p>\n

Glasner\u2019s team did not stage a repeat of their first-half no-show at Bournemouth, and might have scored many more by half-time. With fans in party mode, looking ahead to swigging German beer, they were having a ball, their departing manager hailed in song for the fun times he is still bringing. \u201cHuge appreciation for my players,\u201d said Glasner. \u201cA really great attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Adam Wharton responds acrobatically to his first goal for Crystal Palace.<\/span> Photograph: Paul Childs\/Action Images\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Brentford\u2019s route back to parity was the comfort blanket of set-piece routines but J\u00f8rgen Strand Larsen hitting the post further heightened home anxiety.<\/p>\n

Fortune provided a lifeline. Ouattara\u2019s head delivered the equaliser but only after Jaydee Canvot had\u00a0deflected a Yehor Yarmoliuk cross away from its intended target into the side of the Burkina Faso forward\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

That laid foundations for a second-half reset but Brentford continued to struggle. Wharton\u2019s goal came after Daniel Mu\u00f1oz recycled the ball following a succession of Brentford defenders\u2019 failure to clear their lines. Wharton\u2019s low left-foot shot found Kelleher at severe fault. \u201cIt has been a long time coming,\u201d said Wharton, having broken his duck. \u201cIt\u2019s probably the worst shot I\u2019ve had but it goes in and I\u2019ll take it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a question of time, he has come closer and closer,\u201d said his manager. Jordan Henderson\u2019s experience was introduced just past the hour in an attempt to wrest control of midfield but Wharton continued to reign supreme. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible how he reads the game,\u201d said Glasner.<\/p>\n

Keane Lewis-Potter\u2019s shot wide was a rare Brentford attempt on the Palace goal as what was supposed to be a gala occasion lurched towards anticlimax. It at least signalled a shift in momentum. \u201cWe dropped a little bit,\u201d said Glasner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ouattara\u2019s second equaliser came via a trusted route; Michael Kayode\u2019s throw was flicked on by substitute Sepp van den Berg, and Ouattara nodded in.<\/p>\n

Could the winner come? Kevin Schade, another sub, fired wildly wide, a video assistant referee handball call came and went, Igor Thiago swivelled and had his shot deflected wide amid that frantic flurry. No such goal arrived, Brentford left to wonder if permutations beyond their control and Anfield can rescue those European ambitions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beware the opponent with little to play for. Crystal Palace were supposed to be in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}