Brentford ended Grimsby Town’s impressive Carabao Cup run with a 5-0 victory in the fourth round at Blundell Park.
The League Two side, who had beaten Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday on their way to reaching this stage, were comprehensively beaten by the Premier League outfit despite a strong start to the game where another upset looked a real possibility.
But goals from Mathias Jensen, Keane Lewis-Potter and Reiss Nelson extinguished those hopes, before Fabio Carvalho and Nathan Collins added to their advantage after the break.
Grimsby vs Brentford as it happened
Another huge shock for Grimsby looked truly on the cards inside the first 20 minutes after a brilliant start by the League side, who did not let Brentford settle as they put their superior opposition under plenty of pressure.
George McEachran was allowed dictate play in the centre of the park and, but for a few wayward crosses, Grimsby could easily have gone in front. Moments later, Evan Khouri was inches away from making it 1-0 but Hakon Valdimarsson was there to make the stop.
The missed chance would ultimately come back to haunt the hosts. After giving the ball away, Keane Lewis-Potter found Mathias Jensen, who stroked a lovely effort into the back of the net for a goal which was undoubtedly against the run of play.
Four minutes later, Brentford were 2-0 up after a burst from Frank Onyeka eventually found its way to Reiss Nelson, who stood it up at the back post for Lewis-Potter to double their lead.
From that moment, it looked to be plain sailing for the Bees as they overpowered their opponents – particularly when Nelson slotted in from the edge of the box on what was his first start since signing on loan from Arsenal.
If there was any doubt Brentford would be on their way to the fifth round, it was certain Khouri brought down Carvalho for a penalty for the away side, which the former Liverpool midfielder converted to make it four.
Brentford would then make it five through the head of Nathan Collins, with the Bees captain nodding in from close range, as the visitors’ comfortable procession towards the quarter-finals continued.
Collins looked to have his second of the game after sidefooting into the back of the net following a scramble but the whistle cut the celebrations short.
