Brentford's nine match unbeaten run came to an end at Cardiff as two first-half goals condemned the Bees to defeat.

Joe Ralls gave the Bluebirds an early lead as the west Londoners failed to deal with the second ball from a long throw.

Yoann Barbet had a good chance to level soon after but he fired over from a well-worked free kick.

The Bees should have been on level terms just after the half hour mark but what transpired was one of the worst misses you will ever see at a professional contest.

Ollie Watkins had brilliantly won the ball back and taken the ball past Neil Etheridge by squaring for Neal Maupay.

The Frenchman had the goal gaping with Sol Bamba racing to the line and, even though he could have walked it into the net inexplicably fired wide.

To compound the horrendous miss, Bruno Manga broke down the right and his cross found Danny Ward who slid the ball home.

Brentford pushed hard in the second half but failed to breach Etheridge's goal, with Lasse Vibe and Sergi Canos going closest as they had their efforts cleared off the line.

Below are five talking points to emerge from the game.

Maupay's miss

In battle: Neal Maupay

Words are hard to come by to describe just how bad the miss was and it was one the Frenchman will struggle to forget. Everyone knows he should have put that ball into the back of the net.

It is surely one that will appear on one of those football nightmares DVDs that you find in the bargain bucket at the supermarket.

I'd love to know what was going through his head when he prepared to take that shot. I know Sol Bamba was darting back but the goal was absolutely gaping.

It was a miss that was compounded by Danny Ward doing what he does so often against Brentford and sticking the ball in the net moments later. Would the Bees have won the game if Maupay had scored? It's ifs and buts but there's a very good possibility of that happening.

The Frenchman is being criticised for his miss but it shouldn't be forgotten how hard he worked and he was a constant thorn in Cardiff's defence. The problem is that howler will be the over-riding memory.

Maupay can learn a lesson from Yoann Barbet in terms of making amends for an error. The defender took a woeful penalty against Norwich but, a few days later, was the hero when his free kick flew into the top corner.

Defensive dips

Andreas Bjelland

Maupay's miss will take the headlines but Brentford's defenders will have to take their share of the blame for the loss.

They would have been drilled in defending set pieces, given that is a strength of Neil Warnock sides and, to concede from a long throw was not in Dean Smith's script.

Four players went for the ball and that left Joe Ralls with acres of space to drive home the opener.

Then Bruno Manga was allowed to break down the flank and Ward was given too much space, with four Bees around him to make it 2-0.

I'm a big fan of Dan Bentley but he has not been at his usual standards in recent weeks. There was the goal against Sunderland and the error in the 3-1 win over Leeds.

And there was another shaky moment for the highly rated shot stopper as he dropped the ball in the box from an early corner in the run up to Cardiff's opener.

Brentford's back five are better than that and they will know they need to be a bit sharper in the coming weeks.

Time for a change in the rules?

Dean Smith

I'm wondering whether Dean Smith has changed his mind from the summer where he wasn't keen on moving to 30-minute halves, where the ball is in play.

IFAB has made the proposals to have 30-minute halves, with the clock stopping every time the ball went out of play.

"Many people are very frustrated that a typical 90-minute match has fewer than 60 minutes of effective (actual) playing time (EPT) i.e. when the ball is in play," IFAB said in the document.

"The strategy proposes measures to reduce time-wasting and 'speed up' the game."

Smith, though, believes that is a non-starter and would like to see the traditional elements of the game remain the same.

The Brentford head coach said in the summer: “I've seen the proposals. For me, the traditional element you have to keep, while moving with the times.

“Changing the time, for me, is a non-starter. Keep it as it is. I know they talk about the ball in play but people want to see a 90 minute game.”

However, he was frustrated at seeing the time-wasting brought about by the lack of ballboys when the ball went out of play.

He said after the game: “For me, what was disappointing was the ball was on the pitch for 40 minutes.

“You shouldn't have players running to get the ball. I don't blame them but the officials have to do something about it.”

It's certainly food for thought.

Canos cameo

Neil Taylor and Sergi Canos

Sergi Canos has found game-time limited of late due to injury and the form of Florian Jozefzoon.

And the Spaniard was keen to remind everyone of his talents in Cardiff the moment he came on. He caused the Bluebirds defence problems for the final half hour and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet.

With the Bees back in action on Tuesday night, Canos must be hoping he has done enough to be involved from the start, rather than just come off the bench.

Quick turnaround

Nigel Clough

The positive to take is Brentford have a chance to put things right on Tuesday when Burton visit Griffin Park.

The Bees will be expected to beat the Brewers and Nigel Clough's side will certainly pose a stern test.

But, while defeat at Cardiff was always possible, losing two games in a row would spark fears that Brentford were reverting back to their early season form where they would find ways to drop points.