Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi admitted he and his teammates were disappointed to only come away from the Brentford Community Stadium with a point on Saturday afternoon.
Marc Guehi said: “I’d say [it was] a well-earned point. It was a really tough game and a tough place to come to. They made it difficult for us with the game they play, playing balls in behind you. I thought we defended well. I would say we’re a bit disappointed. It was a well-earned point but we really want to come to these places and win. I thought we kept the ball well, created good chances. We bided our time when we had the ball, took our time to switch the play but just couldn’t find that killer pass or killer shot. We’re a bit disappointed.”
Guehi was involved in a moment of controversy during the first half when his arm clearly slapped against the ball while jumping for a header, with the incident being checked by VAR. The replays showed that he had actually been pushed by Christian Norgaard though, with referee Simon Hooper awarding Palace a free-kick. Guehi said there was little doubt in his mind that’d be fouled,
Marc Guehi added: “I felt the push – I felt an arm in the back of my head. When you jump, you want to raise your arms as well. Personally, I think it was the right decision.”
Palace boss Patrick Vieira said after the game he thought a draw was a fair result, praising Palace’s defending out of possession but citing a lack of creativity as a reason for his side’s offensive shortcomings. For the ninth away match this season the Eagles managed just three shots on target or less. In those matches, Palace lost five, drew three and won one (against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium).
Patrick Vieira said: “I think in possession we didn’t link the game well to give them problems. I think we didn’t create enough chances. Outside of possession, we did fantastically well. A draw is fair for both teams. We came here with the ambition to create chances and control the game but we faced a team who work hard and made it hard for us. We didn’t move the ball quickly enough offensively but we were organised because we knew how strong they were on set-pieces and counter-attacks and we tried to manage the situation well. As a team, we have to be, and I am, happy with the point today”
