Brentford and AFC Bournemouth played out a goalless draw at the Vitality Stadium in a game low of goalmouth action but high on talking points. 

Over the course of the 90 minutes, Brentford fully deserved their point, if not more, creating the clearer chances, the best of which fell to Kristoffer Ajer in the first half and Ivan Toney after the break. 

However, the main talking points will be around two penalty appeals for the home side, both turned down by Thomas Bramall.

The first came when Ajer challenged Jordan Zemura midway through the first half and the second when the ball struck Mathias Jensen’s hand deep into second-half stoppage time. On both occasions, the first following a check with VAR and the second after he blew the full-time whistle, Bramall stood by his decision not to point to the spot.

Returning after the international break, Thomas Frank made two changes to his starting line-up, handing Mikkel Damsgaard his full Premier League debut and restoring Shandon Baptiste to the midfield in place of Josh Dasilva.  

And it was Damsgaard who was at the heart of a bright Brentford start. The Bees controlled possession in the opening quarter of an hour and asked early questions of Neto in the home goal. 

An unforced error in possession from Chris Mepham gave Damsgaard his first sight of goal after three minutes but Neto was equal to his curling effort from the edge of the box.

It was a similar story ten minutes later as Pontus Jansson’s header was only cleared to the Dane but Neto again dealt with the angled drive. 

Bournemouth hadn’t seen much of the ball in the opening stages but when they did get their foot on it, they nearly took the lead. Those in red and black moved the Bees backline around patiently before Marcos Senesi delivered to the back post; Ben Mee got a crucial touch to take it away from the on-rushing Kieffer Moore. 

Mee was then involved at the other end, meeting Jensen’s out-swinging corner only to loop his header into the arms of Neto. 

As the half progressed, the game got scrappier, not helped by a long VAR hold-up following Ajer’s challenge on Jordan Zemura in the area. Initially, Bramall saw nothing wrong as the Norwegian defender went to ground on the edge of the box and won the ball. However, John Brooks, the VAR, asked him to take another look at the incident given the connection between Ajer, the ball, and Zemura happened simultaneously. After what seemed an age for those in blue, the referee stuck with his initial decision and awarded a goalkick. 

It took a while for the game to get back up to speed after the delay; the chances that followed were very much of the half variety. Damsgaard was crowded out in the box as he tried to get a shot away following nice interchange between Toney, Baptiste and Bryan Mbeumo while Dominic Solanke drifted a header well over the bar from Senesi’s centre. 

An off-balance Toney had the next sight of goal, but couldn’t make a good enough connection to beat Neto as he fell to ground on the left-edge of the six-yard box.

Ajer had a more presentable chance moments later from Damsgaard’s centre but his header skimmed off the top of the bar.

Having made more of the running in the first half, Brentford could have easily gone in behind were it not for a superb Mee block. Solanke got to the byline and pulled a ball back towards the penalty spot for Marcus Tavernier to run on to. The Bournemouth man got to the ball first but almost as soon as he’d made contact, the ball bounced off the outspread frame of Mee.

The second half began with Bournemouth looking the more dangerous. From Moore’s header back across goal, Jefferson Lerma got up above David Raya and nodded towards goal. Fortunately, Toney’s striker’s instinct also extended to sniffing out chances in his own box and he got back on to the line to clear. 

There was more defending of the last-ditch variety when the home side broke forward moments later. With a two-on-two break, a combination of Damsgaard and Rico Henry slowed down Solanke allowing Pontus Jansson to sprint back and dispossess Moore inside the area. 

Thomas Frank made a triple change on the hour - Dasilva, Yoane Wissa, and Aaron Hickey coming on - and that enabled Brentford to re-take the initiative. 

It was Dasilva’s first-time hooked pass that allowed Toney in behind for the best opening of the second period, but he could only send his half-volley crashing past the post from ten yards.

The two combined again shortly after but this time it was a Mepham block that kept the home goal intact. 

The former Bee in the Bournemouth backline was a busy man during Brentford’s period of dominance, making another close-range block to deny Toney before he threw himself in the way of Wissa’s curling effort after Toney turned provider. 

The home side made changes of their own in the closing stages and finished the stronger, without troubling Raya’s goal. 

That was until the dying seconds of the four minutes added time. A corner was headed down inside the area. Jensen went to hook it clear, but the ball bounced down off his foot and back up off his hand. The home players and crowd yelled for a penalty but instead the whistle went to Bramall’s lips to signal for full-time. 

Three sides of the ground, and those in black and red on the pitch, implored the referee to look towards VAR but instead he ushered them away confirming Brentford’s point and first away clean sheet of the campaign. 

AFC Bournemouth: Neto; Smith, Mepham, Senesi, Zemura; Tavernier, Lerma, Cook, Billing; Moore (Christie 72), Solanke

Subs not used: Travers, Stephens, Emiliano, Stacey, Lowe, Dembele, Hill, Anthony 

Brentford: Raya; Ajer (Hickey 60), Jansson (Zanka 64), Mee, Henry; Janelt, Jensen, Baptiste (Onyeka 85); Mbeumo (Wissa 60), Damsgaard (Dasilva 60), Toney

Subs not used: Cox, Ghoddos, Roerslev, Trevitt

Attendance: 10,126