Brentford vs Luton Town FC (30th Nov 2019)

BRENTFORD 7-0 LUTON TOWN

It was a day to forget for the Hatters in west London as they were defeated 7-0 by Brentford at Griffin Park.

Town went into this one looking for a second consecutive victory for the first time since August, having overcame Charlton 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Graeme Jones named an unchanged side from that game, with the day itself marking the sixth anniversary since Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu’s debut against Staines Town in an FA Trophy replay after initially signing on loan from West Ham United.

Town went behind early on as Bryan Mbeumo took advantage of a mix-up between Dan Potts and James Shea, stabbing home from close range.

Harry Cornick looked to get the Hatters back on level terms with ten minutes gone as he was set down the right by Mpanzu – the winger taking it past Ethan Pinnock and getting an effort away from a tight angle, with David Raya being forced to palm it behind for a corner.

Mathias Jensen wasn’t too far away from doubling the lead ten minutes later as Mbeumo found the midfielder on the edge of the box, the summer signing from Celta Vigo curling his first-time effort just wide of the far-post.

Then with 26 minutes on the clock, Shea was forced into a fantastic save as Mbeumo played Watkins in, Shea spread himself well and Watkins couldn’t guide his strike past the ‘keeper.

The former Exeter City man wasn’t to be denied though and made it 2-0 after half an hour as once again he combined with Mbeumo, with Watkins converting from his low cross into the six-yard box.

Three minutes later and Jensen made it three, rolling the ball past Shea into the bottom left corner from ten yards after being picked out by Watkins.

Josh Dasilva got on the scoresheet five minutes before the break as he cut onto his left before bending the ball past Shea into the bottom left corner.

He then doubled his own personal tally for the afternoon as he found the bottom corner with the last kick of the half.

Town’s misery was compounded by an injury to second half substitute Brendan Galloway, who had to be stretchered off in the 65th minute and with the Hatters having made all three changes, had to complete the final 25 minutes with ten men.

Said Benrahma added another to the Brentford tally from the penalty spot with 20 minutes to go after Mpanzu brought down Watkins – sending Shea the wrong way as he rolled it into the bottom right corner from 12 yards.

Dasilva completed his hat-trick in the 87th minute as he fired in from the penalty spot after Dan Potts was adjudged to have brought down Benrahma.

Town are back in Championship action next Saturday as they face Wigan Athletic at Kenilworth Road.

Brentford: Raya, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen (Zamburek 71), Benrahma, Watkins, Dasilva, Jansson (Bech Sorensen 63), Mbeumo, Dalsgaard (Roerslev 76).

Unused subs: Daniels, Thompson, Mokotjo, Oksanen.

Goals: Mbeumo 6, Watkins 30, Jensen 33, Dasilva 40, 45+2, 87, Benrahma 70

Town: Shea, Bree, Pearson, Bradley, Potts, Mpanzu, Tunnicliffe, Shinnie (Galloway 46), Cornick (Bolton 46), Brown (Butterfield 53), Collins.

Unused subs: Sluga, McManaman, LuaLua, Jones.

Attendance: 11,287

Referee: Tony Harrington

GRAEME JONES APOLOGISES FOR DEFEAT AT BRENTFORD

Hatters boss Graeme Jones apologised to the Town supporters after the defeat at Griffin Park this afternoon.

The hosts put seven past the Town without reply, with the manager embarrassed by the performance.

He said: “The only people that I feel sorry for is our supporters. Again, they travelled in their numbers and I need to apologise to them for that performance. I don’t want to be manager of Luton Town and have to represent that, I’ve got too much pride in myself. The boys have told me that they will take responsibility for the performance today, which I thought was big of them.

“I didn’t clap them (the fans) at the end because I felt so embarrassed with the performance. It doesn’t help that you lose Izzy, now with a hamstring it compounds things. Brendan Galloway’s snapped his patella tendon so to say it’s been a bad day at the office is an understatement.

“I think that everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong, including the start, giving them an opening goal and then I felt that defensively we were so fragile after that point.

“We didn’t get close to people, didn’t defend with any kind of intensity, any meaning. Don’t forget, this is the same team and the same set of tactics that went narrowly against Leeds and beat Charlton midweek so to say I’m disappointed would be an understatement.”

Asked about the supporters’ response to the loss, Jones explained he was as disappointed as they were.

“I’m as disgusted with the performance as they are, I’ve let the players know that and we have to do something about it.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVM5P2mhyXc – Graeme Jones interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsHOGj2aSyc – Match highlights

Embarrassing Hatters are thumped 7-0 by Brentford

Championship: Brentford 7 Luton Town 0

A truly dreadful and downright embarrassing performance from the Hatters saw them slump to easily their biggest defeat of the season as they were thumped 7-0 at Brentford this afternoon.

Not only was the final scoreline a shocking one, to make matters worse, Graeme Jones' side lost Izzy Brown to a hamstring injury and then had to play the final 25 minutes with 10 men, as having used all their substitutes, saw one of them, Brendan Galloway, stretchered off.

With 29 minutes on the clock and the Hatters just 1-0 behind, it looked like they at least had a chance of leaving Griffin Park with something, but a crazy spell prior to the break saw those hopes go up in flames, conceding four goals to a red-hot Bees side, who were able to almost score at will.

Town had gone into the contest unchanged for the third game running, after much-improved displays against both Leeds United and Charlton Athletic in their last two outings.

However, they ended up conceding seven for the first time since an FA Cup defeat at Grimsby in January 1996, going down to a biggest league defeat since December 1966, beaten 8-1 at Lincoln.

After what had looked like an even start to proceedings, they found themselves behind on six minutes from a goal of their own making yet again.

A hopeful punt over the top saw Dan Potts underneath it, the full back opting to chest to keeper James Shea, who had already come out of his goal to meet the defender.

The pair got their wires crossed though, as Potts' backpass was out of Shea's reach, allowing attacker Bryan Mbeumo to somehow win the foot-race and slide home from the narrowest of angles.

Luton tried to mount an immediate fightback, Harry Cornick escaping on the right hand side and taking on his defender to fizz in a shot that David Raya turned behind, Hatters only effort on target throughout.

Brentford went close again on 20 minutes, Ethan Pinnock getting clear from a corner to see his downward header blocked away, before Mathias Jensen was narrowly off target from outside the box.

Shea was needed on 26 minutes as Bees cleverly created space for Said Benrahma to go through, the Luton keeper out quickly to block well with his outstretched legs.

However, the stopper was picking the ball out of the net on 29 minutes as Town's defence just stood and watched the hosts pick their passes out, with Benrahma finding Josh Dasilva, who had all the time in the world to tee up Ollie Watkins, his effort deflecting in off Matty Pearson.

That was the prelude to Brentford running riot, the third arriving four minutes later though, the hosts able to move the ball into visitors area with alarming simplicity.

This time Watkins found Jensen and he almost reverse passed the ball beyond a wrong-footed Shea and into the corner.

Henrik Dalsgaard almost made it 4-0 as after getting the better of a struggling Potts, he went to loft the ball over Shea, Town's keeper just getting enough on the shot to divert it behind.

Bees saved their best goal of the half for 39 minutes though as a devastating counter was ended by Josh Dasilva curling a magnificent 20-yarder beyond Shea and into far corner.

Just as Luton were looking to regroup during the break, their appalling first period was complete in stoppage time, with Dasilva hammering through Shea.

Jones made two changes at the break, surprisingly keeping the back four in place, with Shinnie and Cornick replaced by Luke Bolton and Brendan Galloway, before their afternoon got even worse on 52 minutes, Brown going down holding his hamstring after sprinting down the touchline.

The Chelsea midfielder, who is such a huge part of Town's efforts to stay up this term, got to his feet gingerly, but could play no further part, Jacob Butterfield coming on.

Bees could never keep their attacking momentum going in the second half, Dasilva sending one hopeful attempt wide, as the Luton fans were the real stars of the half, going through their full repertoire of chants for former players including Mick Harford, Sol Davis, Alan McCormack and even Enoch Showunmi at one point.

Luton then had to play the final 25 minutes with just 10 men as Galloway, who has struggled so badly with injuries since joining Luton in the summer, went down off the ball and stayed down, as after lengthy treatment, he was stretchered off.

A man light, Town shipped another goal when Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu was penalised for a foul in the area and Benrahma was there to easily send Shea the wrong way for a sixth.

Brentford sliced their way through Town once more with some lovely interchanges, Shea making a fine stop to deny Benrahma from close range, while Mbeumo was inches wide from 20 yards.

A deserved seventh hit Luton's net on 87 minutes when Town conceded their second penalty of the afternoon and Dasilva comfortably converted for his hat-trick.

Despite the result, Hatters stayed out of the relegation zone, with both Wigan and Stoke City also beaten.

Bees: David Raya, Rico Henry, Ethan Pinnock, Christian Norgaard, Mathias Jensen (Jan Zamburek 72), Said Benrahma, Ollie Watkins, Josh Dasilva, Pontus Jansson (Mads Bech Sorenson 62), Bryan Mbeumo, Henrik Dalsgaard (Mads Roerslev 76).

Subs not used: Luke Daniels, Dominic Thompson, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Jaako Oksanen.

Hatters: James Shea, James Bree, Dan Potts, Matty Pearson, Sonny Bradley ©, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Andrew Shinnie (Luke Bolton 46), Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Izzy Brown (Jacob Butterfield 53), James Collins, Harry Cornick (Brendan Galloway 46).

Subs not used: Simon Sluga, Lloyd Jones, Callum McManaman, Kazenga LuaLua

Referee: Tony Harrington.

Attendance: 11,287.

Town boss and players apologise to Luton fans for Bees thrashing

Luton chief Graeme Jones admitted both he and the Hatters players wanted to apologise to supporters for their shocking performance during 7-0 annihilation at Brentford this afternoon.

The Luton chief saw his side concede five goals in the first half, four of them coming in a 16 minute spell before the break.

They shipped another two in the second period, to fall to their biggest league defeat since 1966, when hammered 8-1 by Lincoln City.

Izzy Brown (hamstring) and Brendan Galloway (patella) both went off with serious injuries in the second period, ensuring the visitors finished the game with just 10 men.

Jones, who came in for plenty of vocal criticism from the large section of travelling supporters who had remained at Griffin Park, said: “I think that everything that could go wrong, did go wrong, including the start and giving them an opening goal.

“Then I feel like defensively we were so fragile from that point on, we didn’t get close to people, didn’t defend with any kind of intensity, any meaning.

“Don’t forget, this is the same team and the same set of tactics, that lost narrowly against Leeds and beat Charlton in midweek, so to say I’m disappointed is an understatement.

“I’ve told them (the players) that. The only people that I feel sorry for our supporters, who again travelled in their numbers.

“I need to apologise to them, certainly for that performance.

“I don’t want to be manager of Luton Town and represent that, I have too much pride in myself.

“The boys have told me to tell you (the press), that they’ll take responsibility for the performance today, which I thought was big of them.

“I didn’t clap them at the end as I felt so embarrassed with the performance.

“It doesn’t help that you lose Izzy now with a hamstring, that compounds things and Brendan Galloway has snapped his patella tendon, so to say it’s been a bad day at the office is an understatement.

“I can’t say anymore than that, I’m as disgusted with the performance as they are. I let the players know that, we have to do something about it, and I can’t say any more.”

Town fell behind after just six minutes when a mix up between Dan Potts and James Shea saw Bryan Mbeumo nipped into find the net.

They then allowed the Bees far too much time and space in the closing stages of the first half to almost score at will, offer virtually no resistance to the hosts attackers.

Jones continued: “If you want me to play left back, I’ll play left back and make sure that I don’t take a chance on playing the ball back to my goalkeeper in the first 10 or 15 minutes of the game.

“We’ve settled into the game fine, the shape was working, but within that shape individuals have to do their job and four goals came from the left hand side today.

“That’s a big, big disappointment, especially with the level of performance that’s been going on in that area, but it’s how it is.”

During the break, Jones swapped just two players, but surprisingly none of the back four, with Andrew Shinnie and Harry Cornick making way for Luke Bolton and Galloway.

On why there weren’t any defensive changes, Jones said: “I was tempted, but I just wanted to put another two defenders in front.

“I felt like we were getting hurt in wide areas, we weren’t stopping that pass and then you lose Brendan which was typical of the day we had.

“These days happen, it’s something I don’t want to be apart of again, but now it’s how we respond to it.”

Jones couldn’t put his finger on quite why his team were so bad after their impressive showings against Leeds and Charlton either, adding: “All I spoke about before the game, was repeating levels of performance.

“I spoke about attitude, being decisive, being aggressive within our framework, what we’ve had for the last two games.

“I feel like we’ve taken two steps forward, now we’ve taken 10 steps back.

“I made an emphasis on the start of the game, as we scored one goal in the last nine games in the first half.

“I said it was really important we started aggressive, I got the opposite effect is the truth.

"We settled into the game quite well, but one action where you’ve got to deal with the ball and then the second one when you’ve got to go and get close to people’s boots and don’t be easy to beat, it happened too often.

“If you want me to play left back, I’ll try, I’ll give you an aggressive reaction that’s for sure, but I’m afraid I can’t do it.”