Brentford 0 Brighton 0: Bees miss out on chance to ease relegation fears as they play out bore draw with Seagulls
TONY BLOOM taunted his rival Matthew Benham in his own back yard.
This time last year, this match represented a battle for Europe, with both sides defying their own odds in a bid to dust off their passports for the first time ever.
Brighton’s owner Bloom and Brentford counterpart Benham both managed to break the betting market - but they haven’t spoken to each other since 2004 having previously worked together.
And in the battle of ‘who's got the best model’ it is Brighton who are staying one step ahead as they recently announced a record £122.8million profit from last season.
Bloom celebrated by giving it large in the away end despite watching a goalless draw with chances few and far in between, leading to chants of "boring, boring Brentford".
All the talk has been about Roberto De Zerbi’s future at the end of the season, but with Bloom at the helm Brighton will be just fine.
Bloom has found a way to compete with the big six, get into Europe and regular cup semi-finals, all on one of the league's lowest budgets and money from his own pocket.
For Brighton, this match felt like it could go a long way in deciding European football for another season with them yet to meet Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Manchester United again this term.
For Brentford, it was a case of hauling themselves further away from the relegation mire.
There were four changes to the Seagulls XI which started their 2-1 defeat at Liverpool on Easter Sunday.
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Brighton's top scorer Joao Pedro returned after injury, while Igor Julio, Facundo Buonanotte and Adam Lallana also came in.
They started brightly zipping the ball to Pascal Gross who fizzed a cross to Pedro but he prodded well wide under pressure.
The Bees fired a warning just nine minutes in as Keane Lewis-Potter darted down the left and teed up Yoane Wissa but he shot a fraction wide.
The first sight of Ivan Toney came on the half-hour mark as he burst into the box and shimmied beyond Jan Paul van Hecke but stuttered over his shot and Bart Verbruggen comfortably saved.
Pedro had a go up the other end but Mark Flekken easily mopped up the damage, before Lallana cracked a long-range effort wide.
Play was halted as VAR Michael Oliver checked for a possible foul from Wissa for pulling Lewis Dunk’s shirt in the box, but the Brighton defender was giving as good as he got and referee Andy Madley stuck to his original decision.
After the break, Wissa darted towards goal and teed up Toney but he was snaffled up in the box.
Tempers flared when Van Hecke nicked the ankle of Vitaly Janelt near the box and Madley delayed awarding the Bees a free-kick.
Toney blazed the resulting free-kick over anyway.
Thomas Frank had seen enough and brought on Bryan Mbeumo for Wissa and Sergio Reguilon for Lewis-Potter on 73 minutes.
Brighton had a flurry of late chances and Danny Welbeck would have slotted home the opener had it not been for a superb block from Kristoffer Ajer.
Pedro then headed the rebound straight to Verbruggen and De Zerbi had his head in his hands.
Brazilian forward Pedro smelled blood and fired just wide before Welbeck charged towards Verbruggen and lashed a menacing shot inches from goal.
Here's how the action unfolded at the Gtech Community Stadium...