Palace swats Bees to extend unbeaten home run
Crystal Palace extended its unbeaten Premier League run at Selhurst Park to 11 matches with a comfortable 2-0 win over Brentford.
Jean-Philippe Mateta's header and an own-goal from Nathan Collins either side of the break moved Oliver Glasner's side temporarily up to seventh on the league table.
The deadlock was broken in the 30th minute through Mateta, who guided a sensational looping header over Caoimhin Kelleher from inside the box after Jefferson Lerma's towering nod back across goal.
Ismalia Sarr nearly doubled Palace's lead in quick succession, drilling a fine volley inches wide of the post minutes later.
The Eagles eventually extended their advantage six minutes after the restart, when Brentford captain Collins unwittingly turned a long throw-in from Lerma into his own net.
The Bees failed to find much of a response, instead opening the door for a third when Collins cheaply turned over possession to Sarr, who saw a rolled effort clip the base of the post just a minute after the Brentford captain's own-goal.
Brentford's best chance of the match came late in the second half, with substitute Reiss Nelson drawing a fine save from Dean Henderson with a curled effort towards the far corner, capping off a subdued attacking performance.
The Eagles are flying high in the standings after their latest win, while Brentford remains just outside the top half in 12th place on 13 points.
