Dango Ouattara’s Late Equalizer Rescues Brentford, Denies Crystal Palace

Brentford salvaged a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace on Sunday, with Dango Ouattara’s second equalizer deep in stoppage time denying the visitors a win that would have boosted their European aspirations.

The result leaves Brentford in eighth place in the Premier League table, currently enough for a spot in next season’s Conference League, but permutations on the final day and other factors could still alter their fate.

Playing their final home game of the season at the Gtech Community Stadium amid deep uncertainty, Brentford must now hope to profit from Liverpool’s internal divisions at Anfield next week, or a season of high promise will likely end in disappointment.

“We emptied ourselves, played with personality and I just have immense pride,” said Brentford manager Keith Andrews. “The character is there in abundance and it will be there next weekend.”

Andrews has done an exemplary job 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 in what was supposed to be a struggling season under a rookie manager, 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.

In sunny, breezy conditions, Palace were dangerous from the start. The video assistant referee was called into play in the second minute when Caoimhín Kelleher slid into Ismaïla Sarr on the goalline. A penalty was given, and Sarr’s minimal run-up and finish beyond Kelleher’s reach set Brentford into a recovery mode that later bordered on blind panic. “Unfortunately we didn’t quite hit our levels today, especially in that first half,” said Andrews. “We’ve had a pretty special season that could become even more special.”

With eyes on Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig, Oliver Glasner rotated his squad, making five changes. Wharton’s and Sarr’s 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.

Glasner’s 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. “Huge appreciation for my players,” said Glasner. “A really great attitude.”

Brentford’s route back to parity was the comfort blanket of set-piece routines, but Jørgen Strand Larsen hitting the post further heightened home anxiety.

Fortune provided a lifeline. Ouattara’s head delivered the equalizer, but only after Jaydee Canvot deflected a Yehor Yarmoliuk cross away from its intended target into the side of the Burkina Faso forward’s face.

That laid foundations for a second-half reset, but Brentford continued to struggle. Wharton’s goal came after Daniel Muñoz recycled the ball following a succession of Brentford defenders’ failures to clear their lines. Wharton’s low left-foot shot found Kelleher at severe fault. “It has been a long time coming,” said Wharton, having broken his duck. “It’s probably the worst shot I’ve had but it goes in and I’ll take it.”

“It was a question of time, he has come closer and closer,” said Glasner. Jordan Henderson’s experience was introduced just past the hour in an attempt to wrest control of midfield, but Wharton continued to reign supreme. “It’s incredible how he reads the game,” said Glasner.

Keane Lewis-Potter’s shot wide was a rare Brentford attempt on the Palace goal as what was supposed to be a gala occasion lurched toward anticlimax. It at least signaled a shift in momentum. “We dropped a little bit,” said Glasner.

Ouattara’s second equalizer came via a trusted route; Michael Kayode’s throw was flicked on by substitute Sepp van den Berg, and Ouattara nodded in. Could the winner come? Kevin Schade, another substitute, fired wildly wide; a video assistant referee handball call came and went; Igor Thiago swiveled and had his shot deflected wide amid a frantic flurry. No such goal arrived, leaving Brentford to wonder if permutations beyond their control and Anfield can rescue those European ambitions.