Luton Town 1-5 Brentford: Yoane Wissa double boosts visitors’ survival hopes

Forward Yoane Wissa scored twice as Brentford made easy work of Luton to pull 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

The DR Congo forward grabbed his second on the stroke of half-time, reacting quickest to a loose ball after Luton failed to deal with Mbeumo’s low cross.

Defender Ethan Pinnock, making his first start since 10 February, headed in a Sergio Reguilon corner in the 62nd minute to put the Bees firmly in the driving seat.

Luton looked dejected and devoid of ideas when Keane Lewis-Potter was afforded space at the far post two minutes later, heading in Mbeumo’s cross, before substitute Kevin Schade rounded off the scoring for the visitors.

The home side rarely threatened but were gifted a chance in injury time when the ball fell to the feet of Luke Berry, who side-stepped goalkeeper Mark Flekken and finished from a tight angle.

Brentford have climbed above Crystal Palace into 14th and are 10 points clear of the relegation zone with four games left to play, while Luton remain 18th and one point from safety.

Another heavy loss for Hatters

Chances were few and far between for Rob Edwards’ side, who looked disjointed, and belief that they can secure a second successive season in the Premier League might be just starting to drain away.

They have four games left to pull themselves out of the relegation zone but have won just one of their past 13 in the league, losing nine during that sequence, and have conceded 10 goals in their past two games.

A lengthy injury list has to be taken into account, with nine senior players in the treatment room, but Luton have often put up a fight on home soil, something they failed to do against Brentford.

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Edwards said: “Brentford were very good and we were poor. They deserved to win the game. In spells in the first half, it looked a very even game. We had moments. It’s all ifs buts and maybes. We didn’t show enough, certainly in the second half.

“We’re fighting for our lives to stay in the Premier League. It shouldn’t be hard [to be motivated]. It’s a tough day.

“Our supporters are incredible, I’m sorry they had to go through that. We owe them a performance now.”

Survival in sight for Brentford

Thomas Frank’s side have become accustomed to playing without Ivan Toney, who was banned during the first half of the season for breaking FA betting rules, and they did not skip a beat without the injured England striker at Kenilworth Road.

Wissa and Mbeumo formed an almost telepathic partnership in attack, with Lewis-Potter showing that he also has plenty to offer.

In between Wissa’s two well-taken goals, which saw him hit double figures in a league season for the first time since 2020-21 when he was in France with Lorient, Mbeumo crashed a shot off the crossbar.

Lewis-Potter also caused problems in the first half, forcing goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski to claw the ball off the line before another goalbound effort was deflected behind by the head of defender Teden Mengi.

The game was ended as a contest just after the hour mark when Pinnock and Lewis-Potter scored in the space of two minutes, while Schade’s late strike demonstrated the strength Brentford have in reserve.

It is the first time that the Bees have scored five goals in a league game since beating Leeds 5-2 in September 2022.

With just 12 points left to play for, Brentford, who are 10 clear of the bottom three, can start to plan confidently for another season of Premier League football, having extended their unbeaten run to five games.

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Frank said: “We’ve finally got a bit of momentum. We had some very good performances recently, especially against Manchester United and Aston Villa.

“I respect Rob Edwards and his staff and they make it difficult for every team that comes here. We were very dominant and on top throughout the game.”