My. Word. We’ve only gone and done it. Brackets. This is not a typo. This is not a drill. Brentford achieved the magnificent 7(seven) – 0 scoreline in a game that was about as one-sided as they come at Griffin Park on Saturday afternoon. I’d fancied us in the build up but it really was a case of Luton Hoo as The Bees ran riot against the hapless Hatters, blowing them away as easily as a crisp packet aught in the breeze. A Josh Dasilva hat-trick added the cherry to the cake of a scoreline that could, quite easily, have reached double figures. Our biggest win in 25 years, The Bees were about as rampant as it gets. The performance we’ve been building to delivered in epic style.
It’s tricky to be objective in a game of this nature. Luton offered no resistance whatsoever in a game where their plan seemed to be one of matching us in an attempt to play football and, when fair means didn’t work, resort to foul. Referee Tony Harrington issuing no yellows but waving ‘advantage Brentford’ four or five times as somewhat cumbersome attempts to win the ball by the visitors saw the Bees retain possession and continue in our wonderful attacking vibe.
Luton tried but couldn’t keep pace
The returning Bryan Mbeumo scored the first with little more than five minutes on the clock. A calamitous mix up in the the Luton defence allowing him to nip through and tap it home. Dan Potts electing to chest it past his onrushing goalkeeper James Shea, leaving the Brentford man a tight finish but one he put away with aplomb in front of the home fans. 1-0 and what a relief. If only because the game had started with the ‘dirty trick’ of changing ends. It’s one of those things that just shouldn’t be done and always makes me feel extremely uncomfortable to see us kicking at the ‘away’ end in the second half.
For once, it made no difference. If anything, a decision that played in to our hands as Griffin Park exploded into life. The atmosphere built. The attacks kept coming and on the half hour it was two. Ollie Watkins guiding home a Josh Dasilva pass to take his personal goal tally for the season to 12. A few minutes later it was three. Mathias Jensen stroking it home in what seemed like slow motion for our next goal. 3-0 up and with complete one way traffic, not even Brentford could cock it up from here against shell shocked opposition? No chance. It was more the case of how many as things then became the Josh Dasilva show.
His first, a beautiful curler from distance that seem to be his trademark strike. It was an exquisite finish and the first of our four (at that point) that left ‘keeper Shea with no hope whatsoever. If the others had all been aided by what we’ll politely call ‘defensive frailty’, this one would have beaten pretty much any ‘keeper. A real thing of beauty with the celebration, from players and fans alike, one worthy of the strike. See also the fifth, and his second, bang on the stroke of half time. Firing home from the tightest of angles it went straight through Shea’s legs and into the far corner of the net. The assist from Benrahma nothing short of audacity on a stick as he scooped it over the Luton defence.
Brentford celebrate the fourth. Or was it fifth?
Oh my! This was incredible. The stuff of comic books. The stuff of dreams. A professional team shouldn’t, really, be this far ahead of their divisional rivals at this stage in a game. Yet, as we’ve been saying all season, this squad has ability in bucketloads. Has flair. Has confidence. And when we hit our stride, anything can happen.
It was one of those where we didn’t want half-time to come. Although, at the least, it allowed us the chance to catch breath and, more importantly, witness the turning of the Farewell Griffin Park countdown board. With it being the official Rainbow Laces day, this task was performed by our LGBT supporters group, the LGBeeTs. Great work all round.
And with boards updated, it was back out for more football. Whilst the Bees kept going, it almost felt as though the momentum of the first half had been lost. Luton came more into it (that’s relative) with a couple of substitutions having been made at the interval.
“Is that a new goalkeeper?”, asked one Braemar Road observer.
“I don’t know. I’ve only seen the other one from the back”.
It wasn’t, but our guests did show more resolve as they looked to limit the goal difference deficit. Brentford tried to step it up but couldn’t, quite, break through. Both teams making the full compliment of substitutes, with Thomas Frank even comfortable enough to remove Pontus Jansson from the fray. And with Luton done, they were then blighted by an injury to Brendan Galloway that saw a lengthy break in play and the player eventually stretchered off on 69 minutes. It was a cruel twist of fate for the visitors but one which gave Brentford the impetus to turn the screw once more.
Saïd Benrahma from the penalty spot made it six with twenty minutes to go. If his previous effort, at Loftus Road, had been blasted high and hard this one was at complete odds. Rolled into the bottom corner it sent the home fans wild and, on personal note, set off a fair few Twitter notifications. As our regular reader may be well aware of yours truly’s fascination with what happens when the scoreline reaches that magical 7(seven) goal mark, there was never going to be a better chance.
Cripes. This was tense. At 6 up the mood should be one of celebration. And, whilst of course it was, there was the underlying knowledge of what might happen. What could happen. What did happen when referee Harrington pointed to the spot for the second time with just minutes left on the clock. Gulp. There was to be no Benrahma this time. With Josh on a hat-trick, the ball was passed over to give him the chance to start off his match ball collection. Get in !!! No mistake. Cool as you like. He’d done it. We’d done it. Peter Gilham on the microphone set to blow. Referee Harringotn putting the visitors out of their misery with a mere 6 minutes added time. Seasoned observers calling that one closer to 10 but, at that juncture, any complaint wold have been somewhat trite.
It was incredible. Brilliant. Magnificent. All of the above. Luton, it is true, offered little but you can only beat the players in front of you and Brentford did that in some style. With it, we move to 7th(seventh) place in the table. One point off the play offs and two of fourth. We’ve the trip to Wednesday on Saturday and then visits from Cardiff City, next Wednesday and the small matter of Fulham the following Saturday.
That’s all to come though. For now, let’s just enjoy the moment. It’s not often you score 7(seven) goals at home. December 1994 against Plymouth the last time we achieved that feat. It was a special afternoon. Here’s hoping there are more like this.
Nick Bruzon
BrentfordFC 
The only thing Luton won was the toss and elected to change ends. Good report 🤗
I watched Graeme Jones’ press conference last night out of curiosity. What do you say when the result is so comprehensive? There was a lot of anger and finger pointing at his own players who have apparently volunteered to take the blame, very little if anything complimentary towards Brentford, and nothing along the lines of them having a way of playing that they’re sticking with and will sometimes work but sometimes not. That has to be totally demotivating for a group of players who’ll need picking up and some focus for their next two fixtures, important ones against Wigan and Stoke.
I liked that Luton came to play, but it quickly became clear they couldn’t match us in midfield and their defenders couldn’t consistently handle Mbeumo, Benrahma and Watkins, leaving themselves with no chance when Dasilva, Jensen, Henry, and Dalsgaard also piled in on the attack. Changing to a compressed defence and midfield, coupled with longer balls to the front two and trying to miss out our midfield to hit us on the break, may have been the smarter option particularly when it was clear the floodgates were rattling open at a rate of knots.
Away from the obvious spotlight, a few special mentions: Mathias Jensen had one of his best matches to date, as did Ethan Pinnock. Neither had to deal with much, and it’s so easy to play when you’re not swarmed by the opposition, but what they did have to take care of they did very well. For Luton, their loanee Izzy Brown from Chelsea was a cut above everyone else. Everything they did that was effective came through him, and it was often his throughballs or passes out for them to use the width that got things going. It was a shame from a watcher’s perspective that his hamstring went as they seemed totally lost after he went off.
Thanks. I watched Graeme Jones on ‘Quest’ this morning and did have to wonder whether he needed a bucket for those sour grapes. Moreso given he’d acknowledged his team had setup and played in the same way as they did against both Leeds (narrow defeat) and Charlton (victory).
Absolutely agree Luton did try to play but that was, perhaps, their first mistake. Trying to match us rarely ends well these days – especially when the team are on fire.
Kudos, too, for your Jensen observation. Thought he had a wonderful game whilst the quality and technique in his finish just gets better and better each viewing. It is the obvious highlight but his all round performance was wonderful.
We are now a 7 (seven) series BMW…..😂
Back in 1976, clueless TV exec & series destroyer, Fred Freiberger decided to name one of his episodes of his new series, The Rules of Luton, based on a road sign he had seen in England. The story told of a fight between the hero and three ugly thugs.
I was concerned that we would end up succumbing to the Rules of Luton, with their League 1 brand, yet clearly it was the Bees who put their rules on the game. The Rules of Brentford instead focussed on something of pure beauty, a play so easy on the eye. A flick here, an overlap there. Our heroes partaking in Harlem Globetrotters football. DaSilvas first goal being something of pure beauty, like Arjen Robben in his pomp. A performance of perfection, Jensen playing his best game so far & wonderful to see a new name on the scoresheet.
If Freiberger back in 76 had decided to look at the Rules of Brentford rather than Luton, then Space 1999 may have had a third year!!
Oh BQ. I think you’ve just won LW ‘comment of the year’. Freiberger gave us that horrific ‘stripe’ uniform, sacked Kano (whose only role seems to be pulling ticker tape from ‘computer’ and Professor Bergman.
Thankfully, Brentford’s own Professor Frank is more than capable of pulling the strings rather than the print outs.
Here’s where the analogy ends
It must have been destiny. 7 goals to beat Luton and move up into Seventh, and now our ball is No.7 for the 3rd round draw…..unbelievable. What were the odds I wonder? 777 – 1? 🤣