Brentford suffered another setback in their promotion bid on Saturday afternoon as they were held to a 2-2 draw against Cardiff City despite racing into a two-goal lead in the early stages.
Thomas Frank's side looked on track to end their four-game winless run when Luka Racic and Bryan Mbeumo both found the net inside the first 20 minutes, but Junior Hoilett and Joe Ralls then levelled the scores for Cardiff before the interval.
The scoreline then remained level in the second period as Brentford were forced to settle for a point against their Welsh opponents, with this leaving the Bees a significant 11 points adrift of second-placed Leeds following their 4-0 win over Hull.
Brentford have now collected just four points from their last five league matches, with this return seeing Frank's men lose ground in the race for automatic promotion as they have struggled to turn draws into victories in recent times.
Mbeumo has now
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Mbeumo has made an excellent impact since joining Brentford from Troyes over the summer, with the Frenchman having netted 13 goals and registered six assists during his 34 appearances for the west London outfit.
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The Verdict
Brentford will have become frustrated with their recent run of form which has seen them held by a number of teams placed below them in the table, with this string of results meaning the Bees' can only realistically aim for a top-six spot this term.
The Londoners often depend on the likes of Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma to prove the difference for their side, but it was fellow attacker Mbeumo who produced the goods on Saturday as Watkins and Benrahma struggled to make an impact.
The Bees will now be depending on their frontline to reach their usual high standards during the remainder of the campaign, with Frank's side needing a return to winning ways to ensure their impressive season does not fizzle out.