Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
Brentford players celebrate after Ethan Pinnock (No 5, obscured) headed home the winner against Charlton.
Brentford players celebrate after Ethan Pinnock (No 5, obscured) headed home the winner against Charlton. Photograph: Nigel Keene/ProSports/Shutterstock
Brentford players celebrate after Ethan Pinnock (No 5, obscured) headed home the winner against Charlton. Photograph: Nigel Keene/ProSports/Shutterstock

Championship: Brentford fightback floors Charlton, Fulham edge out Forest

This article is more than 3 years old
  • West London clubs win to put pressure on West Brom in second
  • Adam Armstrong’s long-range lob helps Blackburn beat Cardiff

Brentford have cranked up the pressure on West Brom in the race for automatic promotion to the Premier League, but needed late goals from Saïd Benrahma and Ethan Pinnock to overturn a goal deficit at home against Charlton.

The Bees trailed for more than an hour after Macauley Bonne’s early goal but fought back to move within two points of West Brom, who host Derby on Wednesday. Earlier, Harry Arter’s winner 1-0 at Nottingham Forest kept Fulham in the race.

Charlton, who are desperate for points to avoid relegation, struck after eight minutes at Griffin Park. Jonny Williams broke down the left and fed Alfie Doughty, whose cross was flicked on by Jake Forster-Caskey, allowing Bonne to steal in ahead of the Brentford keeper David Raya.

Thomas Frank’s side looked to hit straight back, with Dillon Phillips saving Mathias Jensen’s header – but the visitors nearly doubled their lead soon after. Raya pushed Josh Cullen’s cross on to his own crossbar and from the rebound Jason Pearce’s volley clipped the bar.

Early in the second half, Josh Dasilva took aim from the edge of the box but curled his shot a whisker too high. Benrahma, the hat-trick hero against Wigan on Saturday, saw his drive held by Phillips before Dasliva drew a sharp save from the Charlton keeper. The breakthrough came on 74 minutes, Cullen tripping Benrahma in the penalty area.

The Algerian got up to dispatch the spot-kick beyond the dive of Phillips. Having finally found an equaliser, Brentford surged forward in search of the winner: Phillips twice denied Benrahma before Dasilva’s shot from distance struck the post. Charlton could not hold on, and the defender Pinnock headed home Dasilva’s cross with five minutes left.

Harry Arter celebrates after scoring the only goal of the game for Fulham. Photograph: Andrew Kearns/CameraSport/Getty Images

Earlier on Tuesday, Harry Arter’s superb winner at the City Ground kept alive Fulham’s hopes of automatic promotion and left Nottingham Forest all but resigned to the play-offs.

The Republic of Ireland international settled a game of few clear chances in first-half injury time, striking a left-foot effort from just outside the penalty area which flew into the top corner to earn Fulham a third successive league win.

The game’s first chance fell to Forest after 17 minutes, as Tim Ream’s error allowed Lewis Grabban the chance to shoot but his effort was held by Marek Rodak. With half an hour gone, Fulham’s Bobby Decordova-Reid hit a swerving effort from 25 yards that dipped just over the bar.

Grabban spurned another chance for Forest towards the end of the first half after good work from Matty Cash, before Arter made the breakthrough moments later. The midfielder saw an attempted pass bounce back into his path, and instead sent a left-footed shot arrowing beyond the Forest keeper Brice Samba and into the top corner.

Forest responded to the setback positively but did not test Rodak until the 65th minute, the Fulham keeper holding on to Alfa Semedo’s shot from 18 yards. Shortly afterwards, Oliveira Ribeiro failed to keep his shot down from a promising position, before Nuno da Costa’s late header was fielded by Rodak as Fulham held on.

“I am very proud of my team. It’s a big result for us but there’s a bigger picture,” said the Fulham manager, Scott Parker. “Harry has stepped up, he was fantastic today in terms of the goal. We move on to Friday night and Cardiff, and the way we are at the moment anything can happen.”

Cardiff remain sixth but missed the chance to tighten their grip on a play-off place, losing 3-2 at home against Blackburn. The visitors had seen their own top-six hopes fade after three successive defeats, but twice came from behind before Adam Armstrong’s 40-yard lob earned all three points.

Will Vaulks opened the scoring with a superb strike but Danny Graham equalised midway through the first half. Robert Glatzel put the hosts back ahead before half-time, only for Dominic Samuel to level the game straight after the restart. Armstrong struck with 20 minutes to play, lobbing Alex Smithies from long range to lift Rovers up to ninth in the table, five points behind Cardiff.

Elsewhere, the Barnsley substitute Aapo Halme grabbed a late equaliser in their draw with Luton – a result that does little to boost either team’s hopes of survival. Huddersfield are edging towards safety after earning a 0-0 draw at Reading.

Comments (…)

Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion

Most viewed

Most viewed