With their top-flight status secured, Brentford contested a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Fulham at Gtech Community Stadium last weekend to stretch their unbeaten streak to five Premier League games.

According to head coach Thomas Frank, the Bees lacked "cutting edge" in only their second stalemate of the current campaign - but the Dane ultimately drew positives from putting another point on the board.

“If you can't win, don't lose - that's been a thing we haven’t nailed enough," said Frank after his side had kept their seventh Premier League clean sheet of the season.

Brentford have shipped just two goals in four games since defensive colossus Ethan Pinnock returned from injury in a 2-0 win over Sheffield United in mid-April, and his dominant display against Fulham is the perfect excuse to focus on the 30-year-old centre-back’s outstanding statistics.

Pinnock's brand of no-frills defending sees him feature at the top end of a range of stats - but notably right at the bottom of one in particular.

Arsenal's William Saliba and Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk are rightly regarded as two of the best defenders in the top flight when it comes to snuffing out danger with the minimum of fuss, but it is interesting to note that both have conceded a far greater number of free-kicks than Pinnock this term.

While Saliba (22) and van Dijk (21) may trail considerably behind Everton's James Tarkowski (43) - the most frequently penalised centre-back in the Premier League this season - Pinnock has conceded a meagre three fouls all season, and he didn't put a foot wrong against the Cottagers on Saturday.

Pinnock's rise from the seventh tier of English football, where he represented Dulwich Hamlet, to the top flight has owed much to his fantastic all-round defensive skills, calm temperament and intelligent distribution, and his best qualities were on show against a wily Fulham attack spearheaded by in-form Brazilian forward Rodrigo Muniz.

Comfortable defending as Brentford's last man, Pinnock ranked top for clearances (9) and joint-top for aerials won (4) for the Bees in the west London derby, and his numbers across both stat categories all season have been outstanding.

In fact, despite spending a considerable period on the sidelines, Pinnock still ranks fifth in the Premier League for clearances made (161) and seventh in the division for aerials won (108) this term.

With centre-back partner Nathan Collins also excelling in his defensive work, Brentford had a solid base at the back against Fulham and the pair's passing stats illustrate their importance in possession, too.

Collins (65) and Pinnock (59) completed more passes than any other Brentford players against the Cottagers and the central defensive duo, along with goalkeeper Mark Flekken, pinged an impressive 17 accurate long balls during the course of the game.

Although Fulham will rue sub Raúl Jiménez blazing one clear opportunity over the bar in the second half, Pinnock helped marshal a solid all-round defensive display that earned the hosts a low-key but deserved point.

When Brentford lack cutting edge themselves, it helps to have the imposing Jamaica international countering the opposition's attacking threats at the other end.

To be blunt, defenders like Pinnock are essential if you wish not to lose when you can't win…