First-half blitz helps Villa beat Bees
Brentford were soundly beaten at Villa Park, where the damage was done in the first half.
Ollie Watkins scored against his former club and there also goals for Morgan Rogers and Matty Cash as the host raced into a 3-0 lead by half-time.
The Bees were better after the interval and Mikkel Damsgaard pulled a goal back.
Aston Villa went ahead when Rogers laid the ball out to Watkins on the right, collected his return pass and curled a shot beyond keeper Mark Flekken.
And after being bundled over in the box by Ethan Pinnock, Watkins scored with the resulting penalty despite Flekken getting a hand to the ball.
Worse followed for Brentford when Cash volleyed in from a tight angle following Rogers’ cross.
Damsgaard gave the visitors hope by blasting into the roof of the net after Villa could only partially clear Bryan Mbeumo’s cross, but that was as good as it got for Thomas Frank’s side.
Brentford: Flekken; Van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, Lewis-Potter (Roerslev 80); Janelt, Yarmoliuk (Maghoma 64); Damsgaard, Schade (Carvalho 71), Mbuemo; Wissa (Thiago 71).
Subs not used: Valdimarsson, Mee, Meghoma, Konak, Trevitt.
