Fulham picked up another point on the road as they made the short trip to Brentford on Saturday afternoon, with Marco Silva sure to take positives from the stalemate.
Even with both sides having relatively little to play for when it comes to Premier League position, derby tension was tangible in west London with both sides keen to land the first blow. It was Alex Iwobi who came the closest in the opening 10 minutes with a blasted shot from the edge of the box narrowly drifting over the bar while Keane Lewis-Potter was told to get to his feet after going to ground at the other side of the pitch moments later.
Fulham were suspect at the back early on against Crystal Palace last weekend and the absence of Tosin Adarabioyo was plain to see this weekend too. Bryan Mbeumo looked well up for cutting in and running at Calvin Bassey, hitting the crossbar early doors.
The Cottagers looked the more comfortable with Joao Palhinha grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck but lacked dynamism despite a passionate Silva's best efforts on the touchline. Despite the possession, Brentford were the side to come closest to netting - Lewis-Potter was a handful on the left flank in his rare moments of influence with Issa Diop having to head one shot over the crossbar.
The Fulham coach tried to influence a cagey start to the second half through the introduction of Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore just as the Bees began to seize some control. Thomas Frank responded with Yoane Wissa and Yehor Yarmoliuk.
Out of all the changes, it was Traore who came close to being the gamechanger with his pace a handful for Brentford. Yet, his most important moment came in a blistering run back to recover when Antonee Robinson was disposed by Mikkel Damsgaard.
Ultimately, the two sides couldn't find the killer moment and both settled for a point in a goalless draw. Here's how the Fulham players rated.
1. Bernd Leno - 8
Not wholly convincing with his distribution but banked a clean sheet.
2. Antonee Robinson - 7
His pace was key in helping Bassey against Mbeumo in the first half. Caught out himself by Damsgaard with 10 minutes left to play but saved by Adama's pace.
3. Issa Diop - 8
Very comfortable against Ivan Toney in a display that looked much more assured than last week.
4. Calvin Bassey - 6
There's definitely a player here. Was screaming to energise his team in the first half but he really does find himself in troublesome situations with Marco Silva frustrated.