Yoane Wissa Nets Twice as Brentford Thrash Luton to Dent Hatters’ Premier League Survival Hopes

Brentford produced a five-star performance in a 5-1 win over Luton Town at Kenilworth Road, practically assuring the Bees of Premier League survival and severely damaging the Hatters’ hopes of staying up. 

Yoane Wissa scored twice in the first half as the rampant Bees took control. Then Ethan Pinnock headed in from Sergio Reguilon’s corner, and Keane Lewis-Potter bundled in from Bryan Mbuemo’s cross to make it 4-0 on 64 minutes. 

Substitute Kevin Schade added salt to the Luton wound with four minutes of normal time remaining, before Luke Berry pounced on a rare Brentford mistake to score a goal that gave Town little consolation in second-half stoppage time.

Spirits were high at Kenilworth Road when Town manager Rob Edwards named Teden Mengi, Gabriel Osho and Albert Sambi Lokonga in his starting lineup – three influential players who had missed recent matches through injury. 

After a minute of applause in memory of late former Luton manager Joe Kinnear, Town made a positive start when Alfie Doughy stung the palms of Brentford keeper Mark Flekken. But Brentford swiftly gained control and were unfortunate not to take the lead when Lewis-Potter saw his close-range header saved brilliantly by Luton stopper Thomas Kaminski. 

Thomas Frank’s Bees did break through on 24 minutes when Kristoffer Ajer passed upfield to Mbuemo who played Wissa through on goal. The Brentford number 11 took his shot early and caught Kaminski by surprise, curling into the top right corner from the edge of the box. 

Brentford were highly effective on the counter attack and came mighty close to doubling their lead when Reguilon surged forwards and laid to Wiss, who subsequently rolled to Mbuemo on the edge of the box. The Cameroon international curled a left-footed shot against the bar with Kaminski rooted to the spot. 

The intelligent movement of Brentford’s attacking players caused the hosts endless problems. Wissa was at the centre of the action once again in stoppage time when he exchanged passes with Mikkel Damsgaard and rolled out to Mbuemo on the right flank. Reece Burke made a complete mess of his attempt to clear Mbuemo’s low cross, and Wissa was waiting to gratefully poke past Kaminski from six yards. 

Burke, who had been ill all week in the lead up to the game, did not return at the start of the second half, and was replaced with midfielder Luke Berry. But Luton remained dishevelled and disjointed after the break. 

Brentford scored their third goal on 62 minutes when Pinnock overpowered the out-of-sorts Osho with ease, heading into the top corner from Reguilon’s left-wing corner at the Oak Road End. 

Town were completely lacking in the qualities that have made them competitive throughout this Premier League season, and heads dropped even lower two minutes after Pinnock’s header when Osho was caught out of position as Damsgaard chipped over the top for Mbuemo who lunged to prod across goal. Disastrously, Kaminski opted against coming to claim the cross and Onyedinma misjudged the flight of the ball completely. Lewis-Potter was only too glad to steam in at the back post and head in from two yards. 

Some Luton fans – whose support has been overwhelmingly positive all season – finally turned on their team and exited the ground. 

Each Town player had been instructed to mark his opposite man all over the pitch, and Luton looked increasingly ragged as Brentford exploited Luton’s tactics with intelligent movement. 

With four minutes of normal time remaining, the brilliant Brentford side scored a fifth goal. Mbuemo threaded through to Vitaly Janelt who unselfishly rolled across the box for substitute Schade to thump into the net. 

Mark Flekken had been little more than a spectator after the first 10 minutes, but the Dutchman was denied a clean sheet in stoppage time when Berry anticipated Janelt’s inaccurate pass and beat substitute Christian Norgaard to the ball. From there, Town’s number eight rounded Flekken and hammered past Nathan Collins on the line. 

Berry’s goal gave the Town fans who remained inside Kenilworth Road something to cheer, but it remains to be seen how much such a heavy defeat has damaged the team’s morale. Following Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 defeat at Everton, Luton remain one point from safety with four matches to play.