Brentford boss Keith Andrews admitted his side were missing “that little bit of magic” as they slipped to defeat against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Bees arrived at Selhurst Park looking to build on their sensational 3-2 win over defending champions Liverpool last time out but instead fell to a 2-0 loss following an uncharacteristically flat performance.

Jean-Philippe Mateta broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark, guiding a looping header over Caoimhin Kelleher following Jefferson Lerma’s nod back across goal.

Brentford then slipped further as captain Nathan Collins unwittingly steered a long throw-in from Lerma into his own net in the second half, sealing their defeat.

Reflecting on the loss, Andrews was candid in his assessment.

 “If we’re really honest, we weren’t at our absolute best,” he told BBC Match of the Day. “Today was always going to be niggly, tight, edgy. Some of our quality wasn’t what it has been over the last few weeks.

“It was a game of very few chances, and they edged it. Players aren’t robots – they will make mistakes. There were elements of the first half I wasn’t bowled over with.

"The players over the last few weeks have been outstanding. They tried to break them down but just didn’t have that little bit of magic.

“We’ll analyse it like we do any game. We’re very understanding of where we are and the steps we need to take as a group.”

Saturday’s defeat means Brentford have now lost four of their five away games under Andrews, after losing just one of their last 11 under Thomas Frank last season.

The Bees have also scored five own goals in the Premier League since the start of last season – more than any other side in the league (alongside Wolves, also on five).

Saturday’s defeat marked Brentford’s fourth loss in five away matches under Andrews in a stark contrast to last season, when they lost just one of their final 11 road games under Thomas Frank.

Mateta, meanwhile, continued his fine run of form with a well-taken header.

The Frenchman has now scored 22 home Premier League goals since Oliver Glasner’s appointment in February 2024 – a tally bettered only by Erling Haaland (23) in that period.

Speaking on his performance, Mateta told Premier League Productions: “I feel fantastic. We needed that win and I’m very happy.

“I see Jefferson take the ball and as a striker you have this instinct to move. I touch the ball with the right part of my head and then I knew it was a goal.”

Mateta was also quick to emphasise the collective effort behind Palace’s strong run.

“We need to keep trusting each other. And it’s all about the team, I can’t do this by myself,” he added. “It’s fantastic [to be inside the dressing room], it’s always a pleasure to play with this team.

“It’s a good atmosphere inside and I hope we win more games. We’ll try to win as many as possible.”

The result extends Palace’s unbeaten streak at Selhurst Park to 11 matches – their longest top-flight home run in more than a decade, having last gone longer without defeat between September 2012 and March 2013 in the Championship (18).