Marco Rose still hasn’t tasted Premier League success as Bournemouth boss after his side shared four goals with Brentford in a lively contest at the Vitality Stadium. Despite twice taking the lead, the Cherries couldn’t hold on, settling for a share of the spoils.
Kevin Schade proved to be the Bees’ hero once more, netting a brace to add to the hat trick he scored against Bournemouth last December. His opener came in the 34th minute, heading home from Yehor Yarmoliuk’s cross after Adrien Truffert’s poor giveaway. Justin Kluivert levelled things up soon after, pouncing on a rebound to slot home from close range.
The home side turned things around early in the second half when Marcus Tavernier fired past Caoimhin Kelleher, capitalising on slick build up play between Antonio Silva and Evanilson. Yet their advantage lasted only minutes before Petrovic’s stray pass fell straight to Schade, who calmly chipped the keeper for his second of the afternoon.
Substitute Ben Gannon Doak came agonisingly close to snatching victory late on, his deflected shot cannoning off the post in stoppage time.
Bournemouth will feel they let this one slip, having created several clear openings, including Silva’s header wide and Alex Scott’s blazed effort. The result means the Cherries sit on three points from four league games, while Keith Andrews’ Brentford move to six, remaining unbeaten against Bournemouth in twelve meetings since 2014.
Rose’s men will hope to shift momentum quickly, with their first ever Europa League fixture against Real Sociedad awaiting on Thursday. Andrews, meanwhile, celebrates his birthday on Sunday with his squad showing encouraging signs, though a familiar habit of surrendering leads remains a concern heading forward.
