Thomas Frank’s Brentford all but confirmed the extension of their stay in the Premier League with a resounding 5-1 win over Luton Town at Kenilworth Road. The Bees were seven points clear of the drop zone when they arrived in Bedfordshire, and their victory piles the pressure on Rob Edwards’ Luton, who have played a game more than Nottingham Forest in 17th place. Brentford took a huge step towards sealing their Premier League safety with a 5-1 drubbing of Luton Town at Kenilworth Road.
Thomas Frank’s side arrived in Bedfordshire without talismanic captain Ivan Toney and coming off the back of a four-match unbeaten run, but saved the best for Saturday to move 10 points clear of the drop zone.
Yoane Wissa opened the scoring on 24 minutes as he fired into the top corner, fed through by Bryan Mbeumo, and the Congolese striker – deputising centrally for Toney – had his and the Bees’ second a minute into first-half stoppage time, with his poked effort squirming beyond Thomas Kaminski after more good work down the right from Mbuemo and a defensive miscue from Reece Burke.Ethan Pinnock rose highest just after the hour after more calamitous defending from Rob Edwards’ hosts, and they were punished again just two minutes later, as Keane Lewis-Potter got in on the act, with Mbeumo’s stand-up to the far post nodded in coolly by the left winger.
Kevin Schade, recently returned from his long-term injury, notched the fifth with four minutes to play, after Neal Maupay dummied from a Vitaly Janelt square.
Luke Berry netted a consolation in the second minute of injury time as he seized upon a loose touch from Janelt to round the onrushing Mark Flekken, but the damage was done, and Brentford put up a huge three points that all but cements another year in the top flight. Vincent Kompany’s Burnley fired themselves right back into the safety scrap with a morale-boosting 4-1 win over Sheffield United.
The Clarets scored a two-minute double salvo on 38 and 40 minutes as Jacob Bruun Larsen, the on-loan Hoffenheim winger, seized upon Wilson Odobert’s ricocheted strike, slicing his own effort, which deflected off Jayden Bogle and into the bottom left corner.
Lorenz Assignon, the right-back, doubled the visitors’ tally after some neat link-up play down the right flank between the Frenchman and Vitinho. The full-back slalomed beyond Ben Brereton Diaz, before poking his effort through the legs of Auston Trusty and beyond Ivo Grbic. Gustavo Hamer’s curler on 52 minutes had the home support on their feet calling for more urgency from their side, but any lingering hope they held of a comeback was dashed just six minutes later, as Lyle Foster made it three as the South African gathered an Assignon cutback, before slotting into the bottom corner.
Johann Gudmundsson put the result beyond all doubt within seconds of coming off the bench, as the Iceland international cut in off the right flank onto his dangerous left foot, before whipping a strike into the left-hand corner beyond the despairing Grbic.
Kompany’s Clarets are now three points from safety with four games to play, although Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest, who occupy 17th place, have a game in hand on them.