It felt almost inevitable that the unadulterated chaos of Brentford’s 4-3 win up north at Burnley last weekend would be followed by a far tighter affair on the south coast.

The Bees were unable to breach a stubborn Bournemouth backline on Tuesday night, but secured their seventh Premier League clean sheet of the season in a 0-0 draw that, according to head coach Keith Andrews, “revisited some of our basics” and showed “real collective resilience”.

The hard-fought point means Brentford (13) have now collected more away points than any other Premier League side since the turn of the year. It also moved the west Londoners to within four points of fifth-placed Liverpool, who were beaten by Wolves on a busy night of midweek action.

Only Manchester United (21), Arsenal and Manchester City (both 19) had picked up more Premier League points in 2026 than Brentford (17) and Bournemouth (16) prior to kick-off, and there was little to separate the two sides in an engaging contest played at Vitality Stadium.

The hosts came closest to breaking the deadlock, with two James Tavernier strikes hitting the woodwork, while a late Junior Kroupi effort was deflected wide by team-mate Enes Ünal. Brentford, however, fashioned dangerous openings of their own, with Sepp van den Berg’s second-half header from Mathias Jensen’s excellent free-kick drawing a sharp save from Cherries goalkeeper Đorđe Petrović.

Prior to the game, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola suggested that “the things that we do that punish almost all teams don’t punish Brentford because they are very physical”, and a fiercely contested battle unfolded. One early casualty was Bees defender Rico Henry, who was forced off with an injury during a first half packed with duels and darting runs.

Although Brentford shaded possession, Bournemouth applied greater pressure, finishing with 13 shots to the visitors’ five. The caveat, however, was that only two of the hosts’ efforts were on target.

After the mayhem at Turf Moor last weekend, Brentford tightened up defensively. Captain Nathan Collins spoke afterwards about his side’s “grit” and ability to “defend properly” when under the cosh - and the Irish defender can take pride in the fact that only Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool have conceded fewer shots on target this season than the Bees.

As referenced by Andrews afterwards, the Bees’ emphasis has very much been on the collective, and their 18-goal striker Igor Thiago embodied that team spirit on Tuesday night.

The Brazilian battled tirelessly for the cause, winning possession back in his own half on more than one occasion and winning more aerial duels (six) than any Brentford player.

If Thiago’s display highlighted Brentford’s industry, Mathias Jensen provided the composure in the centre of the park. In a game that demanded both tenacity and control, the Danish midfielder snapped into tackles while also using the ball with intelligence and creativity.

Pitching in with three tackles and five clearances, Brentford’s no.8 made his defensive contribution, while his passing was typically impressive. The Bees’ two shots on target both stemmed from Jensen’s ability to deliver accurately into the box, and he finished with 13 passes into the final third, two accurate crosses and two key passes.

Brentford’s strength in depth was apparent off the bench, too. Kristoffer Ajer deputised well for the injured Henry, Yehor Yarmoliuk slotted seamlessly into midfield when replacing Jordan Henderson after an hour, and Keane Lewis-Potter helped the Bees dig in late on.

Andrews could shuffle the pack for Monday’s fifth-round FA Cup clash at West Ham. However, while the personnel may change, the spirit and performance levels are likely to remain the same.