Brentford produced a terrific late comeback to keep their automatic promotion hopes alive as goals from Said Benrahma and Ethan Pinnock earned a 2-1 win over Charlton Athletic.
The Addicks took an early lead through Macauley Bonne and defended resolutely throughout, with Brentford looking set to slip to fourth following Fulham’s 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
However, Benrahma’s penalty gave them hope 15 minutes from time before Pinnock’s late header won it to send Thomas Frank’s men within two points of the automatic promotion spots.
Frank restored Josh Dasilva and Mathias Jensen to midfield and brought Mads Roerslev in for Henrik Dalsgaard at right-back, while Lee Bowyer made five changes to the Charlton side that had suffered their first defeat of the restart at home to Millwall on Friday.
Alfie Doughty and Jake Forster-Caskey were two of those brought into the line-up and they combined to tee-up the opener inside ten minutes, the latter heading the former’s delivery back across goal for Bonne to nod home.
The goal was the first Brentford had conceded since February, but they were almost two-down soon after as Josh Cullen hit the bar direct from a corner before Jason Pearce also grazed the top of the woodwork with the follow-up.
Prior to that, Dillon Phillips had had to be alert to tip Jensen’s header over the bar, while Said Benrahma twice went close to finding a leveller with efforts cutting in from the left and Brentford piled on the pressure before the break.
Dasilva curled just over soon after the restart as Charlton sank deeper and deeper into their own half, but the defence held firm, with Naby Sarr, in particular, immense.
Benrahma lifted over the bar following a loose first-touch before Phillips denied Dasilva from a tight angle after a smart one-two with Ollie Watkins.
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But when Cullen was harshly penalised for a block on Benrahma as the Algerian met substitute Dalsgaard’s cut-back, the resistance was finally broken, the Bees star dusting himself off the send Phillips the wrong way from the spot.
With a point not much good, Brentford went for the jugular. Dasilva clattered the post with another terrific strike, and when Benrahma’s low effort took a wicked deflection but still didn’t beat Phillips you thought a winner might not come.
Then came Pinnock, outstanding in defence since the restart, to make a vital contribution at the other end, glancing in Dasilva’s cross under close attention from Jason Pearce.
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Here come the teams then. A big London derby for teams at either end of the table coming right up...
Up at the City Ground, Fulham have just taken the lead deep into first-half stoppage time through Harry After.
The two sides have just headed in from their warm-ups so it's almost time to get up and running. Brentford looking to make it a perfect six wins on the bounce.
West Brom and Leeds are not in action until later on in the week, but there is another big game tonight at the top end of the table, with fourth playing fifth as Fulham visit Nottingham Forest.
That one kicked off at 5pm and it's currently 0-0.
BMW hailed for defensive work
Brentford's famed 'BMW' front three of Said Benrahma, Bryan Mbuemo and Ollie Watkins all start this evening having amassed 52 league goals between them so far this season.
However, goalkeeper David Raya was keen to highlight their contribution to the meanest defence in the division ahead of this game.
“The key thing is defending as a team, defending from the striker to the goalkeeper,” the 24-year-old said. “A clean sheet is part of the team, it starts from the striker that starts pressing.
“You can see Ollie, Bryan and Said, when the triggers are there, we have to press and they give their all in every single match. It’s a massive part of our game.”
Charlton, meanwhile, do make plenty of changes, five of them in all, as Sarr, Doughty, Field, Forster-Caskey and Williams all come into the side.
The Addicks have been in decent form since the restart but are still only two points clear of the relegation zone heading into this one.
I wondered whether this might be the game where Thomas Frank tried to rest a few players, with Derby to come at the weekend, but Brentford are almost at full-strength.
Henrik Dalsgaard drops to the bench, with Mads Roerslev in at right back, but that's the only deviation from what you'd consider the Bees' first choice XI, with Mathias Jensen and Josh Dasilva back in midfield.
Charlton team news
Charlton XI: Phillips, Matthews, Pearce, Lockyear, Sarr, Doughty, Field, Cullen, Williams, Forster-Caskey, Bonne
Subs: Amos, Purrington, Oshilaja, Aneke, McGeady, Pratley, Morgan, Lapslie, Davison
Brentford team news
Brentford XI: Raya, Henry, Pinnock, Jansson, Roerslev, Norgaard, Jensen, Dasilva, Mbuemo, Watkins, Benrahma
Subs: Daniels, Thomspon, Dalsgaard, Jeanvier, Valencia, Marcondes, Dervisoglu, Fosu, Zamburek
Hello and welcome to our LIVE Championship match coverage of today's London derby between Brentford and Charlton Athletic at Griffin Park!