Fulham 2-1 Brentford: Harry Wilson nets stoppage-time brace to snatch deserved derby win
Harry Wilson scored twice in stoppage-time as Fulham battled back to earn a thrilling, and deserved, 2-1 derby win over Brentford.
The Bees took the lead against the run of play through a stunning strike from Vitaly Janelt, but spent the majority of the night camped deep in their own half, repelling wave after wave of Fulham attacks.
They could not hold on for a west London derby victory, though, as Wilson came off the bench to deliver an improvised finish from Adama Traore’s cross and level it up.
And there was still time for the Welshman to have the final say in the 97th-minute, the ball turned in off his shoulder to spark wild celebrations at Craven Cottage.
Reiss Nelson came into the starting XI at the expense of Adama Traore and the Arsenal loanee was in the thick of the action as he almost gave the hosts the lead in the opening minutes.
Nelson, operating on the left, was slipped through by fellow Arsenal academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe, and after his initial effort towards the near post was denied by Mark Flekken, the Brentford goalkeeper did well to get to his feet and perform a double save.
Smith Rowe's quality was on full display under the lights and the Cottagers' club-record signing was at the heart of a wonderful play which almost resulted in a 16th minute goal.
The midfield player started a one touch move between Nelson and Antonee Robinson where he was slipped through, with his shot being heroically blocked by Nathan Collins, who prevented his effort curling into the bottom right corner.
Brentford survived the early Fulham storm and Janelt then gave his side with a thumping strike.
The visitors' press finally paid dividends as they won the ball high, allowing Janelt to crack a left-footed shot past Bernd Leno and into the corner of the net.
Silva turned to the bench after an hour as Traore came on in a bid to impact the match with his explosive pace down the right.
At this point, Thomas Frank's side were sat in a low block, but Traore fancied himself against Bees left-back Sepp Van Den Berg, with his first action creating a cross for Raul Jimenez, with the in-form Mexican forward failing to get enough purchase or accuracy behind his headed attempt.
Fulham were not going down easily and Brentford needed to defend valiantly. Traore continued to see the ball down the right flank and after his first shot was blocked by Ben Mee, the central defender rushed out and put his body on the line to get in the way of a powerful half-volley which looked destined for the net.
The Cottagers continued to search for the equaliser and it was Traore who created it in the second minute of added time. The rapid Spaniard surged down the right and picked out Wilson, whose creative flick looped over Flekken and into the far corner.
The Wales international, frustrated by his lack of starts for the Cottagers, was not finished. Five minutes later he showed the instincts of a striker to attack a Robinson cross and head the winning goal, to the delight of the home support.
Additional reporting by PA Sport.