Brentford took a big step towards securing Premier League safety and left relegation rivals Luton Town in the mire as the Bees triumphed 5-1, earning their biggest ever away win in the Premier League.
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Brentford were without the injured Ivan Toney but Yoane Wissa took his goal tally for the campaign into double figures with a pair of first-half strikes before Ethan Pinnock, Keane Lewis-Potter and substitute Kevin Schade completed an emphatic victory after the break.
Luke Berry grabbed a consolation goal for Luton but it could prove to be a damaging defeat for Rob Edwards’ side.
Brentford climbed into 14th place, 10 points above 18th-placed Luton, who now have Burnley breathing down their necks after the Clarets' 4-1 win at bottom club Sheffield United on Saturday.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 |
Wolves
WOL
|
38 | -15 | 46 |
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -11 | 40 |
| 16 |
Brentford
BRE
|
38 | -9 | 39 |
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -18 | 32 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
38 | -33 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
38 | -37 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
38 | -69 | 16 |
How the match unfolded
Brentford saw a golden opportunity go begging after eight minutes as Lewis-Potter fired wide after latching onto Mikkel Damsgaard’s neat through-ball.
Lewis-Potter went close again after 19 minutes with Thomas Kaminski producing a magnificent reflex save to keep out the winger’s header.
Kaminski, though, was helpless five minutes later as a swift Brentford counter saw Bryan Mbeumo feed Wissa, who lashed a brilliant first-time effort past the Luton goalkeeper at his near post.
The same two players combined to double the Bees’ lead in first-half stoppage time. Mbeumo, who hit the crossbar a couple of minutes earlier, saw his deflected low cross poked in by Wissa from close range.
Kaminski saved Damsgaard’s drive before Brentford made it 3-0 after 62 minutes – Pinnock heading in Sergio Reguilon’s outswinging corner - with the goal greeted by chants of "We are staying up" by the delighted travelling fans.
Lewis-Potter finally got his goal two minutes later, ghosting in at the far post to nod home from Mbeumo’s first-time cross.
Kaminski denied Kristoffer Ajer and Mbeumo before Schade put the icing on the cake four minutes from time, slotting into an empty net from Vitaly Janelt’s unselfish square ball.
Berry pounced on a loose pass to round Mark Flekken and restore some pride for Luton, who face a tough trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers next Saturday before hosting relegation rivals Everton on Friday 3 May.
Five-star Bees run riot
Brentford ended their nine-match winless streak with a timely 2-0 victory over Sheff Utd last weekend, but travelled to Kenilworth Road having lost nine out of 11 away matches.
The Bees had not scored in the first half of their last five outings either, but all of that was forgotten when Wissa’s brace put them in control before the break.
Despite having less possession than their hosts, they certainly carried the stronger attacking threat, with 21 shots compared with their opponents’ six helping them score five goals in a top-flight away match for the first time in their history.
And it was fitting for Janelt to provide the assist for the final goal on the day as he became the first Brentford player to make 100 Premier League appearances.
Unwanted history for Luton
Luton had lost six of their seven previous league meetings with Brentford, and they never truly looked like enjoying an upturn in fortunes today.
It was always going to be difficult to turn things around once they fell 2-0 behind in the opening half, having failed to win any match this season when trailing at the break.
A 21st Premier League defeat of the season equals their club record for a top-flight campaign – matching their tallies from 1959/60 and 1990/91.
On a brighter note, Edwards’ team continued their impressive scoring streak at Kenilworth Road, where they have now netted in each of their last 13 outings.
The Hatters are only one point from safety, but have a significantly poorer goal difference than the sides immediately above them – Nott'm Forest and Everton, who each also have a match in hand.
Club reports
Luton report | Brentford report
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Luton have now lost seven of their last eight league matches against Brentford. This was the first time the Hatters have lost a home top-flight match by 4+ goals since February 1984 (0-5 v Man Utd).
Brentford have won back-to-back Premier League matches for just a second time this season, and having gone winless in their previous nine (D4 L5). The Bees are also unbeaten in their last five in the league (W2 D3), their longest run without defeat this season.
Janelt is the only player to have played in every Premier League game for Brentford this season. Saturday's match at Kenilworth Road was his 100th in the Premier League, the first player to achieve this feat for the Bees.
Wissa's two goals against Luton took him to 10 in 2023/24, the first player other than Toney to reach double figures for goals in a single Premier League campaign for Brentford.
