Brentford secured progression to the third round of the Carabao Cup with a commanding six-goal victory over Birmingham City at St Andrew’s.
Callum Wilson marked his first goal for the club with a decisive performance that showcased the visitors’ considerable strength in depth.
Keith Andrews’ side, fresh from an impressive Premier League triumph over Tottenham at the weekend, rotated their starting eleven but demonstrated no drop in quality.
The London club controlled proceedings from the opening exchanges and ultimately overwhelmed their Championship opponents with a relentless attacking display.
Wilson opened the scoring early in the contest, finding the net after being picked out by Yehor Yarmolyuk.
The striker’s effort fortuitously deflected off Dael Fry before crossing the line.
Birmingham responded strongly, with Demarai Gray firing an equaliser past the Brentford goalkeeper.
The visitors reasserted their authority before half-time, with Wilson adding two more goals within a five-minute spell to restore and extend their advantage.
Aaron Hickey found the far corner following a failed Birmingham clearance, before Nathan Collins headed home from Jaidon Anthony’s delivery.
The second half saw Brentford deliver a flurry of three goals inside seven minutes to put the tie beyond doubt.
Jaidon Anthony proved instrumental in both the fourth and fifth goals, first cleverly allowing his cross to run through for Mikkel Damsgaard to finish, then pulling the ball back for Igor Thiago to tap in.
Collins completed the scoring with a looping header from Mamadou Sangare’s cross, his second goal of the evening.
Brentford’s starting lineup featured Valdimarsson in goal, with Hickey, Collins, Schuster and Henry forming the back four.
Janelt, Yarmoliuk and Damsgaard occupied midfield positions, while Ouattara, Wilson and Anthony led the attack.
Substitutes included Kayode, Sangare, Schade and Thiago, who each entered the fray during the second half.