A late goal from Dan Casey saw Brentford Under-21s lose 2-1 to Fulham Under-21s in Premier League 2 at Wheatsheaf Park this afternoon.
Fábio Carvalho, Ji-soo Kim and Gustavo Nunes all played 90 minutes in the tight west London derby. Markuss Gomins put Fulham up in the first-half, before Andre Grey equalised on 87 minutes after sustained pressure, but it was the Cottagers who won the game with a stoppage-time strike.
Nunes and Carvalho combined in scintillating fashion on eight minutes, the Brazilian winger beating three men before finding Carvalho in the box. The latter's flick returned the ball to Nunes, who put too much on his curling strike at goal.
It was Fulham who struck first though as the Bees failed to deal with a corner and on the second phase, Gomins fired through the bodies to make it 1-0 on 16 minutes.
Grey did well to release Isaac Holland on the break two minutes later, the winger using his pace to glide past Logan Cooke and cut inside, but his strike was too close to Dino Kaiser in the Fulham goal.
Sam Saunders' side looked dangerous and on 26 minutes Kiefer Gorman slid in Nunes brilliantly, who struck low towards the near post but Kaiser saved well again.
Reggie Rose was called in to action at the other end as Casey cut inside and clipped a cross in that evaded everyone with the Brentford keeper having to stay alert to tip it round the post.
Grey had a big chance in added time, winning the ball back and driving toward goal. His strike deflected into the path of Carvalho who was denied by a lunging block and Brentford went into the break a goal behind.
Jose Sani had the first sight of goal of the second half, when he was allowed too much time to run at the Brentford defence and let a powerful shot fly from the edge of the area, which Rose had to smartly parry.
Holland did really well to break into the box on the hour mark, but he and Carvalho got their wires crossed and both went to strike the ball at the same time.
The Bees were on the hunt for an equaliser; Nunes spread the ball wide to Joseph Wheeler-Henry, who clipped the ball to the edge of the box where Gorman met it with a superb half-volley that whistled inches wide.
A minute later and Grey overlapped on the left to pull the ball back into Carvalho. The midfielder took a touch and used three Fulham defenders as a guide to bend the ball towards the bottom corner, but his curled effort went agonisingly the wrong side of the far post.
Saunders' side had a big penalty appeal on 68 minutes as Carvalho set Nunes free who glided in to the box and looked to be brought down as he went to shoot, but the referee waved away the red and white appeals.
Casey could have won the game for the Cottagers on 75 minutes, but made Rose's save an easy one with his low effort as he dribbled into the box under pressure from Caelan Avenell.
With 15 to play, the crowd at Wheatsheaf thought Brentford had an equaliser as Grey's flicked header from Riley Owen's in-swinging corner looped over everyone and fell cruelly wide.
The sun made way for crashing rain and Fulham's goal was living a charmed life as the ball just wouldn't fall in the box for the Bees. on 86 minutes, Holland stung the palms of Kaiser with a powerful effort from the right hand side of the box.
The pressure eventually told and Brentford found their equaliser on 87 minutes, when the ball fell to Grey at the back post and he smashed his left-footed strike home.
It looked like the home side would be the ones to go on and win the game, but on the transition in the final minute of stoppage time, Casey cut into the box and bent an effort into the far corner to win it for Fulham.
It was a cruel way to lose a football match, especially as the Bees were the side who had the momentum for the majority of the second half.
Brentford: Rose, Avenell, Shield, Grey, Kim, Gorman (Wilson 70), Wheeler-Henry (Bobb-Semple 82), Owen, Holland, Nunes, Carvalho
Subs: Stokes, Hanson, Giscombe, Trimboli, Klimas
Booked: Nunes 79
Fulham: Kaiser, Benchaita, Slade, Cooke, Gomins, Chingwaro, Olyott (Zepa 64), White, Sani, Quashie (Konadu-Wall 90+2) , Casey (Cavell 90+2)
Subs: Brief, Zepa, Zaidan-Jones, Morrison, Taylor
Booked: Chingwaro 70
Burke: Mixed emotions
Reaction: Chris Burke on Fulham defeat
Brentford B assitant coach Chris Burke reflected on the Young Bees' late defeat to Fulham in Premier League 2.
"In the second half we had so much momentum," he said, "when we scored so late it looked like we were the team that were going to win the game.
"Unfortunately we were done on the transition and we will have to go back and analyse that and work on it as players and staff.
"I feel for the boys because it felt like we were going to win the game but we've taken nothing from it in the end."