Fulham were eliminated from the Carabao Cup following a 0-3 loss to Brentford on Thursday evening.
A Saïd Benrahma brace following an early opener from Marcus Forss saw our West London rivals progress at our expense.
Scott Parker rung the changes from the side that fell to defeat against Aston Villa on Monday evening. Ten changes in total, including a debut for Ola Aina on the right side of the Fulham back four. Following his arrival on season-long loan from Red Bull Leipzig Ademola Lookman was also on the bench, poised to also make a debut.
It was another crisp afternoon in West London as the two teams entered the fray at the Brentford Community Stadium, a tidy and sparkling new stadium on Kew Bridge.
In the 9th minute we came close to taking the lead in spectacular fashion after looking dangerous in possession. A free-kick just outside the opposition box could mean only one thing, Neeskens Kebano was going to go for goal. A sweetly struck effort curled over the wall and glanced off the side of the left-hand post.
A bright spot in what was a subdued and scrappy encounter for the opening 20 minutes.
After warning shot from Josh Dasilva in the 25th minute that flashed past Marek Rodák’s right-hand post, the hosts slowly began to work their way into a scrappy match and began to enjoy larger portions of time on the ball.
In the 32nd minute Fulham were gifted a good opportunity to take the lead when David Raya punted a poor goal-kick directly to the feet of Jean Michaël Seri. After controlling the ball, the Ivorian slipped a neat ball through into the path of Anthony Knockaert. Rather than taking a left-footed effort first time the winger controlled & blasted a shot into the side netting. A rare goal-scoring opportunity wasted.
We were made to pay for this missed opening in the 36th minute. A wayward pass in the middle of the park lead to a 50/50 challenge which Seri was unable to win. With bodies committed up the field Brentford clinically broke down the right wing and a neat cut back was slammed home by Marcus Forss.
A lacklustre first half showing from Fulham, where we struggled to get anything fluid going in the attacking third.
The start of the second half saw Scott Parker make a change and it was Lookman who was brought on to replace Josh Onomah.
The introduction of the winger injected some pace into the Fulham forays into the Bees half and in the 50th minute a neat flick from the skilful winger baffled the defence and saw Stefan Johansen unmarked in the box. The Norwegian captain took a touch and played pass to the feet of Kebano in the box who looked to prod a shot into the far corner. If not for a remarkable Raya save the scores would be level.
More positive play from Lookman in the 57th minute resulted in another golden opportunity to grab the equaliser. After skipping past a defender the young winger put it on a plate for Seri in the heart of the box. The Ivorian rushed his effort and slammed a left-footed shot over the bar.
In the 62nd minute we were punished for our sloppiness when Benrahma popped up unmarked at the back post to end a neat set play from Brentford. A long ball was headed across the box by Ethan Pinnock and after bypassing every player it fell to the Benrahma, who slid home to double the lead.
The Algerian added a third with a truly wonderful goal to put the result beyond doubt in the 76th minute when he turned Michael Hector on the edge of the Fulham box with an exquisite nutmeg and lashed a shot home. An excellent goal. Game, set and match to Brentford.
With the result beyond doubt the match played out with no further incident. We will be back in League action this coming Sunday as we travel to the Midlands to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers.