Sheffield Wednesday’s FA Cup adventure ended at the third-round stage as Brentford eased to a 2–0 win at Hillsborough, a scoreline that flattered the hosts more than it did the visitors after a one-sided afternoon in which the Premier League side hit the woodwork twice, forced a change of goalkeeper through sheer pressure, and could have won by considerably more.
Brentford arrived with rotation in mind after a strong run of league form, but the changes barely dulled their rhythm. From the first whistle they played on the front foot, squeezing Wednesday back and moving the ball quickly through the lines. The early warning signs were clear when Reiss Nelson cut inside and let fly from range, only for young goalkeeper Pierce Charles to produce an outstanding touch to divert the strike onto the underside of the crossbar. Moments later the bar was rattled again, this time by Keane Lewis-Potter’s header, which also came back off the frame of the goal with Charles beaten.
Wednesday, fielding a patched-up side and leaning heavily on youthful legs, tried to stay compact and ride out the storm, but Brentford’s quality eventually told on 27 minutes. Mathias Jensen’s set-piece delivery drifted all the way through to the far post, where Lewis-Potter reacted quickest to squeeze the ball home from close range and give the Bees a deserved lead.
The pattern barely shifted after that. Brentford continued to create, and Charles kept the tie alive almost single-handedly. Nelson was denied twice in quick succession, Jensen blazed over when clean through, and further chances came and went as Brentford’s attacks kept arriving in waves. The visitors did have a minor concern just before half-time when Jordan Henderson took a knock in a collision and did not return after the break, but the change did nothing to slow Brentford down.
If anything, the second half became even more lopsided. Romelle Donovan twice went close—first firing straight at Charles, then seeing a better opening smothered by a defender when he had time and space inside the box. Aaron Hickey was denied, Lewis-Potter had another effort stopped, and Jensen was again thwarted when Charles made a remarkable save that left him clutching his shoulder. The goalkeeper’s resistance finally ended when the injury forced him off, and within minutes Brentford had their second.
Donovan burst into the area and was tripped, leaving the referee with an uncomplicated decision. Jensen stepped up and drilled the penalty home just after the hour to make it 2–0, effectively finishing the contest. Wednesday continued to work and the crowd tried to lift them, but clear chances were scarce, and Brentford remained comfortable, even if they were again denied by a couple of good stops from substitute keeper Logan Stretch as the game wound down.
Afterwards, Brentford head coach Keith Andrews was pleased with both the professionalism and the mindset, explaining that his side treated the tie seriously and wanted the performance to look like a Brentford performance—aggressive, front-foot and controlled—while acknowledging they left chances out there that could have made the afternoon even more convincing. He also played down concerns over Henderson’s knock, saying the decision to withdraw him was mainly about avoiding unnecessary risk with bigger fixtures ahead.
Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen struck a different tone, focusing on effort and circumstance. He praised how his young, threadbare squad stuck together against higher-level opposition, but admitted the lack of options is biting hard, describing his group as stretched to the limit and emphasising the need for help and reinforcements as the club continues to battle through a difficult period.
For Brentford, the victory was a tidy, drama-free passage into the fourth round, built on authority rather than chaos. For Sheffield Wednesday, it was another afternoon where commitment could not quite bridge the gap in class—though the shot-stopping of Pierce Charles, and the resilience shown by an understrength side, ensured the crowd still had something to applaud despite the result.
