Brentford leave it late to see off Charlton and pile more pressure on West Brom

Posted Wednesday, July 08, 2020 by PA

Brentford needed late goals from Said Benrahma and Ethan Pinnock to beat Charlton 2-1 and crank up the pressure on West Brom in the race for automatic promotion.

Lowly Charlton led through an early goal from Macauley Bonne, but Benrahma levelled from the penalty spot before Pinnock headed the winner five minutes from time.

It was by no means a vintage display but nonetheless Brentford have once again cut the gap to the second-placed Baggies, who play Derby on Wednesday evening, to just two points.

Brentford had not conceded a goal in their previous five matches but it took Charlton just seven minutes after Jonny Williams broke down the left and fed Alfie Doughty.

Doughty’s cross was headed goalwards by Jake Forster-Caskey and Bonne got in front of Bees keeper David Raya to guide the ball home.

Brentford looked to hit straight back and Rico Henry’s cross found Mathias Jensen, whose far-post header was tipped over by Dillon Phillips.

The Bees had a double let-off after Charlton, who still need a few more points to guarantee their survival, rattled the woodwork twice from a corner.

Raya pushed Josh Cullen’s cross onto his own crossbar and from the rebound Jason Pearce’s volley clipped the bar.

Before the interval Benrahma, Saturday’s hat-trick hero against Wigan, twice worked himself into space on the left of Charlton’s penalty area, but was inches off target on both occasions.

Early in the second half, Josh Dasilva took aim from the edge of the Addicks’ box but he too curled his shot a whisker too high.

Benrahma saw his drive held by Phillips before Dasliva played a neat one-two with Emiliano Marcondes and drew a sharp save from the Charlton keeper from his angled shot.

Brentford got back on level terms in the 74th minute when Benrahma latched onto a Dasilva cut-back in the area and tripped over the outstretched leg of Cullen.

Benrahma confidently dispatched the spot-kick beyond the dive of Phillips for his fourth goal in four days.

The Bees began peppering the Charlton goal and Phillips saved twice from Benrahma before Dasilva’s 20-yard effort came back off the far post.

But when Dasilva looped another cross into the box, Pinnock got his head to it to steer home the ball and keep West Brom on their toes for a little longer yet.