Bournemouth v Brentford: Key stats and talking points

Bournemouth are looking for a first Premier League victory over Brentford. The Cherries have led in all three of their league games this season, yet failed to win any of them. Two points from three matches so far probably isn't a fair reflection on how Marco Rose's side have played, but they have developed a habit of crumbling late on in games. Four of the five goals they have conceded have been after the 84th minute, with two of those coming in stoppage time. In contrast, all of the four league goals scored by Bournemouth have come in the first half. Against Newcastle last weekend, they had 13 shots in the first half, with five on target; after the break, they had four shots, none of which were on target. "In the second half, we dropped a bit in everything," admitted head coach Rose after Bournemouth were pegged back from 2-0 up by an 88th-minute equaliser. They started to put that right in midweek, with three second-half goals from a much rotated line-up giving them a 4-0 League Cup win over Lincoln City , which was Rose's first competitive win in charge. But now Bournemouth need to transfer that to the Premier League, where they have lost seven points from winning positions this season, more than any other team – and 29 since the start of 2025-26, the joint-highest in the division. [BBC] Brentford are unbeaten this season but have also been struggling to kill off games in the league, having let a lead slip in their past two top-flight matches. The Bees have drawn nine of their past 13 Premier League games (W2, L2), and have amassed 11 draws in 2026 - second only to Bournemouth, who have drawn 12. The latest concession of a lead came last weekend when Sunderland grabbed a draw through an Enzo le Fee penalty in the 82nd minute. Giving away penalties has also been something of an Achilles heel for Brentford in recent times. They have conceded more than any other Premier League side since the beginning of last season, with six goals coming from the nine spot-kicks they have given up. On the flip side, they have earned more than any other side in that time, but they are the only team in this Premier League campaign to miss a penalty – that happened in the opening match of the season when Igor Thiago hit the post with his against Tottenham . [BBC]