Brentford delivered a ruthless demonstration of their squad strength as Keith Andrews’ side swept Birmingham City aside 6-1 at St Andrew’s to book their place in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
On a night when Andrews made eight changes to the team that had beaten Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 in the Premier League, there was little evidence of disruption. Instead, Brentford produced an increasingly dominant performance in which their quality, movement and finishing eventually proved far too much for their Championship opponents.
Callum Wilson marked his first competitive start for the Bees with an early goal, Aaron Hickey also found the net and captain Nathan Collins scored twice. Mikkel Damsgaard and Igor Thiago completed the rout during a devastating second-half spell, while Demarai Gray scored Birmingham’s only goal on a painful evening for Chris Davies and his players.
The final score was emphatic, but Birmingham did have a period during the first half when they threatened to make a contest of the tie. Gray’s equaliser after 28 minutes brought the home side level and briefly lifted St Andrew’s, only for Brentford to respond with the authority of a team determined not to allow the game to drift away from them.
The visitors arrived with Andrews prepared to make extensive use of his squad. Only Collins, Vitaly Janelt and Dango Ouattara retained their starting places from the victory over Tottenham, while Wilson, Jaidon Anthony and Jannik Schuster were handed their first competitive starts for Brentford. For Schuster, it was also a senior debut for the club.
Birmingham manager Davies also rotated his team, making six changes with another Championship fixture against Wrexham approaching on Friday. Ryan Allsop started in goal, while Dael Fry and Luis Vázquez were among those brought into the side.
Any suggestion that Brentford’s changes might leave them vulnerable quickly disappeared.
The visitors gave an early warning when Anthony attacked a Damsgaard delivery from a short corner, sending his header wide. It was an indication of the problems Anthony would cause Birmingham throughout the evening.
Within a minute, Brentford were ahead.
Birmingham attempted to play their way out from the back but were punished by the visitors’ pressure. Yehor Yarmoliuk regained possession in midfield and quickly released Wilson. The experienced striker did not hesitate, turning and striking first time from around the edge of the penalty area.
His low effort found the bottom corner, taking a slight deflection on its way, and Wilson had his first competitive Brentford goal just six minutes into his first start.
It was precisely the sort of finish Brentford would have hoped to see when they added the experienced forward to their attacking options. Wilson needed only one genuine opening to make his mark, showing the instinct and composure that have characterised his career at the highest level.
The early setback left Birmingham needing to settle quickly.
Brentford continued to look dangerous, particularly from set pieces, and Collins threatened when he met a Janelt corner. At the opposite end, Birmingham began to find moments of encouragement of their own. Christoph Klarer headed narrowly wide from a corner as the hosts attempted to establish themselves in the contest.
Their improvement was rewarded in the 28th minute.
Schuster was booked after bringing Vázquez down outside the penalty area and Birmingham took advantage of the resulting free-kick. Rather than shooting directly, Paik Seung-ho played the ball short to Gray.
The former Brentford winger was given enough room near the edge of the box to get his shot away. His low effort travelled through a collection of bodies, leaving goalkeeper Hákon Valdimarsson with his view obstructed, and the ball found its way into the net.
At 1-1, Birmingham suddenly had belief.
For a few minutes, the possibility of a cup upset appeared much more realistic. The home crowd had something to respond to and Brentford faced the first serious test of the evening.
Their reaction was impressive.
Rather than allowing Birmingham’s equaliser to change the direction of the match, Andrews’ team immediately regained control and were back in front within minutes.
A Janelt delivery was not properly dealt with by the Birmingham defence. Bright Osayi-Samuel attempted to clear the danger, but the loose ball eventually dropped towards Hickey on the edge of the area.
The Scotland international struck a well-controlled half-volley which travelled beyond Allsop and went in off the inside of the post.
It was a significant goal because it quickly extinguished the momentum Birmingham had gained from Gray’s equaliser. The home side had worked their way back into the contest only to find themselves behind again before they had been able to build on it.
Worse followed five minutes later.
Damsgaard released Anthony on Brentford’s left and the winger delivered into the penalty area. Birmingham failed to deal decisively with the cross and Collins attacked the ball aggressively, rising above the defence to head home.
The Brentford captain’s goal made it 3-1 before half-time and transformed the complexion of the tie.
For Birmingham, the closing stages of the first half had been particularly damaging. They had fought back from conceding early, found an equaliser and appeared to have given themselves a platform. Instead, two goals in a short period meant Davies’ side went into the interval facing a considerable deficit.
Birmingham started the second half with more purpose and attempted to push higher up the pitch, but Brentford remained the more threatening side when opportunities arrived.
Schuster headed narrowly wide following another intelligently constructed set piece, Anthony had an effort blocked and Hickey sent a dangerous ball across the face of goal.
Damsgaard was increasingly influential as space began to appear. The Danish midfielder went close from a free-kick after substitute Kevin Schade had been fouled near the Birmingham penalty area.
Gray continued trying to provide Birmingham with a route back into the game and tested Valdimarsson from a free-kick. Substitute Jay Stansfield was also introduced as Davies searched for a way of changing the contest, and he helped create an opportunity for Jhon Solís, whose deflected effort went over.
That Birmingham attack ultimately led to one of the defining passages of the evening.
From the resulting corner, Brentford turned defence into attack at devastating speed.
Valdimarsson released the ball quickly to Janelt, who drove forward before finding Anthony on the left. Anthony sent a low delivery across the penalty area towards Thiago, but rather than attempting to finish himself, the striker intelligently allowed the ball to continue into the path of Damsgaard.
Damsgaard arrived at exactly the right moment and finished from close range.
It was 4-1 after 70 minutes and Birmingham’s hopes had effectively disappeared.
Brentford were not finished.
Only three minutes later, Damsgaard turned provider with a superb pass through Birmingham’s defensive structure. Anthony again timed his movement perfectly before sending a first-time cross towards Thiago.
This time the Brazilian took the opportunity himself, converting from close range to make it 5-1 and register his first goal of the season.
Anthony’s contribution deserved particular recognition. On his first competitive Brentford start, he produced three assists and repeatedly stretched Birmingham from the left. His direct running, timing and quality of delivery gave the hosts problems throughout the evening.
The fifth goal prompted some Birmingham supporters to begin heading towards the exits, but those who left early missed another goal.
With around 15 minutes remaining, substitute Mamadou Sangaré collected possession around the edge of the Birmingham penalty area and delivered an inviting cross into the box.
Collins attacked it powerfully and directed his header beyond Allsop.
The centre-back had his second goal of the night and Brentford had six.
For a central defender to score twice illustrated another dimension of Brentford’s attacking threat. Andrews’ team were dangerous in open play, effective on the counter-attack and consistently threatening from crosses and set-piece situations.
The statistics of the evening were reflected most importantly by the scoreline, but the manner of the victory will arguably have pleased Andrews just as much.
He had changed the majority of his starting XI and yet Brentford still played with cohesion and intensity. Players coming into the side understood their roles and several used the opportunity to strengthen their claims for more regular football.
Wilson scored, Anthony created three goals, Schuster gained valuable senior experience and Brentford’s substitutes ensured the level did not fall as the second half progressed.
That strength from the bench was particularly noticeable.
Thiago, Schade and Sangaré were among those introduced, and rather than protecting a comfortable lead, Brentford became even more dangerous. Thiago scored, Sangaré created Collins’ second goal and Birmingham were increasingly unable to cope with the pace and freshness of the Premier League side.
It was also a continuation of an encouraging start for Brentford. Coming only days after the impressive 3-0 Premier League victory over Tottenham, the result gave Andrews another reason to be satisfied with the early signs from his squad.
For Birmingham, the conclusions were much less comfortable.
Davies has made no secret of the club’s ambitions, but this was a sharp reminder of the standards required when facing established Premier League opposition. Birmingham were punished for mistakes in possession, struggled to defend deliveries into their penalty area and found Brentford increasingly difficult to contain once the match became stretched.
There were moments of encouragement, particularly around Gray’s equaliser, but they were too brief.
Gray was one of Birmingham’s most dangerous players and his goal demonstrated what the hosts could produce when they found space around Brentford’s defensive line. Yet every time Birmingham appeared capable of building momentum, their opponents responded.
The period immediately after the equaliser proved especially costly. A cup tie that was level after 28 minutes had become a 3-1 Brentford advantage by the interval.
Once Damsgaard scored the fourth, the contest turned into damage limitation. Instead, Brentford sensed the opportunity to make the victory emphatic and continued attacking.
Davies did not attempt to disguise his disappointment afterwards.
The Birmingham manager apologised to the club’s supporters and accepted responsibility for a result he described as both painful and deeply disappointing. He acknowledged that there had been too many situations in which his side simply failed to compete at the required level.
Perhaps most strikingly, Davies accepted that the margin of victory was not particularly misleading. Brentford, in his assessment, were considerably further ahead in numerous areas of the game, and the 6-1 scoreline reflected the difference between the teams on the night.
His reaction was notable because there was no attempt to hide behind Birmingham’s six changes, their busy schedule or the fact they were facing Premier League opponents.
For Davies, the immediate challenge will be ensuring the defeat does not linger.
Birmingham return quickly to Championship action against Wrexham, and their broader ambitions this season will not be determined by a second-round League Cup defeat to a Premier League club. Nevertheless, losing by five goals at home is difficult to dismiss entirely, and Davies will expect a response.
Andrews, meanwhile, was understandably delighted with the depth demonstrated by his players.
The Brentford head coach explained afterwards that he had felt no significant concern about making eight changes because of how closely matched the competition for places has become within his squad.
While the final score suggested a straightforward evening, Andrews felt his team first had to earn the opportunity to impose themselves. Birmingham’s equaliser presented a potentially awkward moment, but he was particularly satisfied by the speed and strength of Brentford’s response.
He also highlighted the influence of his substitutes and the ability of players to immediately find the tempo of the match after coming from the bench.
That may ultimately be one of the most important aspects of the evening for Brentford.
Cup competitions can sometimes expose the difference between a club’s strongest XI and the remainder of its squad. At St Andrew’s, the opposite happened. Andrews rotated heavily and was rewarded with a performance full of energy, competition and attacking quality.
There will inevitably be sterner examinations ahead, but Brentford could hardly have negotiated this assignment more convincingly.
Wilson’s opening goal provided an encouraging moment for a new forward, Anthony produced an outstanding creative performance on his first competitive start, Damsgaard controlled important passages of the game and Thiago opened his account for the campaign.
Then there was Collins.
Already a major figure in Brentford’s defence, the captain contributed twice at the other end of the pitch and ensured that a comprehensive team performance was accompanied by an unlikely personal double.
The contrast at full-time could hardly have been greater.
For Birmingham, it was an evening to absorb, learn from and quickly move beyond. Their Carabao Cup campaign is over and the focus now returns to their Championship ambitions.
For Brentford, the competition remains very much alive.
Eight changes, six goals and a place in the third round represented an excellent night’s work for Andrews and his players. More importantly, the performance suggested Brentford possess considerably more than a strong first-choice team.
On this evidence, they have a squad ready to compete.
At St Andrew’s, Birmingham discovered that depth in the most unforgiving fashion possible.
