Brentford came from behind to earn a point against Huddersfield Town, their third draw in a row. The Bees trailed to an early strike from Lewis O’Brien that came in an opening period of the game that was incredibly disjointed. They could have levelled before the break but found a way back in to the game when Mads Bech Sørensen poked home just after the restart. And that was how it finished.

The 1-1 score line was the least Brentford deserved and they came closest to winning the game when Ivan Toney hit the post. The Bees had more attacking play and more chances but were unable to find a way through. The point takes Brentford back in to the top three in the Sky Bet Championship and they have lost one in seven, adding this point to recent draws with Derby County and Nottingham Forest.

There was no pattern to the game in the opening 20 minutes. Huddersfield scored their early goal, but the opening minutes were littered with stoppages, with the medical teams from both sides spending time on the pitch, and set pieces. Huddersfield seemed happier with the opening than The Bees, particularly as they got an early goal.

A long ball was played in to the Brentford right back area and Mads Roerslev stepped in to clear as David Raya came to gather. The pass from Roerslev found Christian Nørgaard with a man at his back and referee Oliver Langford allowed a clip of the heels to go unpunished. O’Brien stepped in to space and with Raya rushing to get back in to position, the low shot wrong-footed him and flew in to the net.

The goal came out of nothing and was the only time Huddersfield put together an attack of any note in the first half. That it came after Sergi Canós was penalised for a similar tackle on Demeaco Duhaney as Mr Langford allowed to be committed on Nørgaard added to the frustration. It also came just after a restart when Nørgaard and Álex Vallejo had clashed heads in the Brentford left back area. Vallejo looked uncomfortable throughout the 23 minutes he was on the pitch and was removed, perhaps concussed, midway through the first half.

It took quite a while for Brentford to get in to their stride. Huddersfield pushed high up the pitch out of possession and tracked men all over. The Bees tried to keep them chasing with off the ball movement and by the midway point of the half, the visitors had started to take control of the game. By half time, they probably deserved to be level.

Goalkeeper Ryan Schofield saved a looping header from Nørgaard before an Ethan Pinnock pass was cleverly dummied by Ivan Toney and Canós fed Vitaly Janelt, breaking in to the penalty area. Janelt went to drill the ball in to the far corner but Naby Sarr made a block. Sarr was involved again moments later, slipping as he tried to prevent Toney getting on to a sweeping Pinnock pass. The Huddersfield defender lent in to the ball and used his arm to feed it back to Schofield but neither Mr Langford nor his assistant, on that side, close to the action, could see the handball.

Nørgaard fired over the bar for The Bees after getting on to a cross from Sørensen and as half time approached, Brentford were pressing forward in increasing numbers. Bryan Mbeumo lashed over from distance and went closer soon after. Toney flicked a long Sørensen throw on and Mbeumo arrived at the back post but could not stretch to head home. Mbeumo then sliced a volley wide in the dying seconds of the half as Brentford went in at the break behind but having forced the hosts back for much of the opening 45.

And Brentford got the equaliser they deserved at the start of the second half. Huddersfield dealt with a corner but Mbeumo took the resulting throw in quickly to Canós, the cross was met by Pontus Jansson but miraculously kept out, by Sarr on the line. Janelt got on to the loose ball and drilled it back in, Sørensen was there to poke it past Schofield and in to the corner to level it up.

The Bees came within a whisker of turning the game around completely moments later. Canós picked up a loose ball in midfield and fed Toney on the left, who had initially run offside but held and waited for defenders to play him on. Toney took a touch and drilled a shot across Schofield, but the ball cannoned off the inside of the post and away from arriving players.

That prompted Huddersfield in to changes. The hosts brought on an extra central defender to switch to three at the back and pushed Fraizer Campbell closer to striker Yaya Sanogo. Huddersfield had more attacking threat as a result but also maintained a solid defensive shape.

Junior Bacuna curled a free kick over for the home side and Campbell tested Raya with a low shot after Sanogo won a duel in the centre of the park, got a lucky bounce, and fed the ball wide. But Huddersfield were more intent on stopping The Bees than playing themselves. Their back three, and wing backs, got deeper and deeper as the half wore on and they collected cautions throughout. Brentford introduced Mathias Jensen, Emiliano Marcondes, Tariqe Fosu and Marcus Forss as they looked to find a way through.

There were penalty appeals at either end in similar circumstances, all waved away. Ghoddos chased back with O’Brien and might have caught the Huddersfield man’s heels but Mr Langford saw no foul. At the other end, Toney and Mbeumo battled on the edge of the penalty area as challenges came in. Mbeumo went down but Mr Langford again waved play on. The ball was then crossed and Nørgaard set up Fosu, but his low shot was held by Schofield.

Ghoddos fired wide when a long throw was cleared to him and Mbeumo stooped to head wide from a difficult angle. A Jensen free kick flew across the face of goal, begging to be finished off, before Sørensen’s cross found Toney, but his shot was blocked. Nørgaard faded a shot wide as time ticked down and as much as Brentford pressed, the goal wouldn’t come, and they had to settle for a point.

Huddersfield Town: Schofield; Duhaney, Keogh, Sarr, Pipa (sub Rowe 59 mins); Hogg, Vallejo (sub Bacuna 23 mins); Holmes (sub Stearman 59 mins), Campbell (sub Ward 81 mins), O’Brien; Sanogo

Subs (not used): Pereira, Mbenza, Thomas, Edmondson-Green, High

Bookings: Holmes (56 mins), Hogg (88 mins), Schofield (90 mins), O’Brien (90 mins)

Brentford: Raya; Roerslev, Jansson, Pinnock, Sørensen; Ghoddos (sub Marcondes 72 mins), Nørgaard, Janelt (sub Jensen 62 mins); Mbeumo (sub Forss 81 mins), Toney, Canós (sub Fosu 72 mins)

Subs (not used): Daniels, Goode, Reid, Bidstrup, Žambůrek

Bookings: Mbeumo (66 mins) (third of season)