Brentford further proved that they know how to take care of business on the soccer field, crushing Grimsby Town 5-0 in their opening round Carabo Cup match. That enormous victory propelled them into the quarter-finals. The game played in the intimate confines of the Gtech Community Stadium. Brentford opened an attacking blitzkrieg into which hapless Grimsby was almost entirely helpless. The previous match of the day, at 3-0 the home team easily dominated the match by halftime. Their unstoppable offense ran roughshod over the entire second half.
During that initial period of the match, Brentford pushed forward with two big opportunities to get on the board. Their desire was to be in the lead by 25 minutes in. Despite these close calls, Mathias Jensen eventually proved the difference, scoring first for Brentford and providing the hosts with the all-important opening goal. Brentford are seven league wins in a row! They’ve beaten recent Premier League heavyweights such as Manchester United, West Ham and most recently Liverpool.
A Dominant Performance
In fact, Brentford’s offensive play was really a thing of beauty in their opening tie with Grimsby Town. Reiss Nelson, who was making his first start for the club, was instrumental to the Gunners’ success in attack. Along with him, Keane and Fabio Carvalho played at an extremely high level, which only increased Brentford’s unwavering efforts to put the opposition under constant duress.
Their attacking prowess to generate quality chances and finish them was on display all day long. It took less than five minutes for Brentford to score again, as they found the back of the net twice more in the first half. This new standard of performance represented a change for Brentford from being the scrappy underdogs to the new favorites in the tournament.
“They started the game very well as expected. A lot of thunder, guts and real good quality. They’re a good side, well-coached and that proved to be the case.” – Keith Andrews
Brentford’s set-piece threat became apparent when captain Nathan Collins headed home Jensen’s corner for the team’s fifth goal. This explained not just the potency in their effectiveness from set-pieces but their tactical flexibility.
Cup Competitors
This victory on Grimsby Town continues with Brentford’s reputation as the most dangerous team in the cup. Overall, their capacity to punish teams on the counter-attack has turned them into a very difficult team to play against in knockout tournaments. The squad’s depth was evident as they made nine changes from the team that recently defeated Liverpool, yet still managed to maintain a consistent level of performance.
David Artell touched on just how big this win was, as it adds to their successes in the cup competition.
“That’s the ruthlessness you have in the Premier League: suddenly it’s 3-0 and it’s game over at that point. We’re proud of our achievements in this cup competition.” – David Artell
This resolve, determination and commitment to the cause was evident from the start of the game as Brentford constantly hassled Grimsby, forcing errors and profiting from them ruthlessly.
Looking Forward
With this dominant display, and a 4-0 scoreline to match, Brentford strolls into the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup full of confidence. With the squad depth in place, the team’s early-season momentum gives plenty of hope as they march forward in domestic league and cup competitions. Their biggest challenge moving forward is maintaining this prolific pace of play. Beyond just those factors, they have to work through an incredibly tight calendar full of important league matches.
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