Bournemouth Sets Unwanted Record as Brentford Dominates Again

Bournemouth walked off with a point. They also walked into the record books for all the wrong reasons.

The draw leaves them 15th in the Premier League and makes them the first side ever to lead in each of their opening four fixtures without winning a single one. Leads keep coming. Wins do not.

Even so, Rose refused to dwell on the statistic. Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, he focused on what his team did when the game turned against them.

"We were behind for the first time this season, we reacted well, and lucky me, we didn't concede a late goal. We had more chances, more possession, we were the best team."

The message was clear: this was about character as much as chaos. Bournemouth had to absorb Brentford’s physical threat, scrap for second balls and still try to play.

"Brentford is a tough opponent, they are good for second balls and have quite big guys and ballers as well. I liked how we competed, the way we defended in most situations. I like the way we attacked, our attitude. We were unlucky in a couple of situations, so we just get a point."

That point, though, suits Brentford’s broader story against the Cherries far more than it does Bournemouth’s.

Brentford’s Hold Over Bournemouth Grows

For Brentford, this was another chapter in a quietly dominant run. The result stretches their unbeaten top-flight record against Bournemouth to nine matches (W5 D4), a sequence that now mirrors their four-game unbeaten start to the 2023-24 campaign.

It is a pattern that refuses to break. Whenever these two meet in the Premier League, Brentford find a way to leave with something.

Yet Bees boss Andrews cut a frustrated figure. The scoreline protected the record; the performance, he felt, did not match the standards he demands.

"I thought we could have done better. We did not hit the levels we set for ourselves," he admitted. "We come to a difficult place. They play a very specific way, and it was difficult to deal with at times. Equally, we did not make life easier for ourselves by certain things we were doing. Overall, I think it's a point game."

The saving grace was his two-goal forward, who lit up the contest and kept Brentford’s unbeaten run intact.

"He [Schade] was electric, he really has. The second he has come back in pre-season, the way he has attacked everything. He's in a good rhythm with his game. He looks very free at the moment, so long may that continue."

So Brentford leave with their record intact and their main attacking spark in full flow. Bournemouth leave with another lead squandered and a statistic they would rather not own.

One team is building on a familiar platform. The other has to decide how many warnings it needs before those early advantages finally start turning into wins.