Brentford’s Thomas Frank praised the work Rob Edwards has done at Luton Town in his pre-match press conference – but as the two sides clashed in West London on Saturday, most would have expected the hosts to comfortably dispatch the Premier League newcomers.
BRE: Flekken; Janelt, Mee, Pinnock, Ghoddos; Yarmoliuk, Nørgaard, Onyeka; Wissa, Maupay, Mbuemo
LUT: Kaminski; Osho, Lockyer, Mengi; Bell, Barkley, Mpanzu, Kaboré; Ogbene, Chong; Morris
Luton Town’s away form this season certainly hadn’t been impressive in the buildup to this fixture, with the Hatters taking just four points from their first six games away from Kenilworth Road.
But much like their victory against Crystal Palace, first-half action was lacking. They were dominated by the hosts though, who would be frustrated to see Yegor Yarmoliuk’s shot sent wide of the post by Carlton Morris.
With Tom Lockyer unable to re-emerge from the Luton Town dressing room after sustaining a first-half injury, Brentford looked to take advantage – and it was Neal Maupay that rifled them into the lead after just a matter of minutes, poking home from close range.
Embed from Getty ImagesBen Mee would be the next to work his way onto the scoresheet, heading home just seven minutes after Maupay’s opener as Thomas Frank’s side began to look comfortable with their newfound lead.
Luton Town thought they’d grabbed a lifeline when Jacob Brown found the back of the net with fifteen minutes remaining, having latched onto Ross Barkley’s stunning through ball – but the hosts had a different idea.
Shandon Baptiste restored the two-goal cushion for the hosts soon after, netting his first goal in almost two years as he slammed home the rebound after seeing Keane Lewis-Potter’s strike denied by Thomas Kaminski.
Brentford travel to Brighton in midweek, while Luton Town must prepare for the visit of Mikel Arteta’s high-flying Arsenal, who put themselves four points clear at the top of the table earlier on Saturday.
