'We want to go as far as we can' - Keith Andrews makes Brentford silverware intentions clear after hard-fought Carabao Cup win over Reading

Bees secure fourth round

Wilson opened the scoring inside three minutes before Carvalho doubled the advantage in first-half stoppage time, with both goals created by Dango Ouattara. Paudie O'Connor halved the deficit with a second-half header to set up a tense finale, though the visitors held firm. The 2-1 away victory sealed safe passage into the fourth round for Andrews' side.

Andrews targets cup progression

Following a commanding display at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, the manager made clear his side's ambition to go deep into this season's competition. Andrews said: "We took it very seriously in the last round and we did again tonight. It's a serious competition for us, we want to go as far as we can. There's no reason why we can't. We're going to attack it as hard as we can."

Dominant performance shows depth

The evening proved particularly memorable for Carvalho, who marked his return from a cruciate ligament injury sustained in November 2025 with a clinical strike. Brentford were far more dominant than the scoreline suggested, controlling 70.9 per cent possession and racking up 3.21 expected goals (xG). Mikkel Damsgaard dictated proceedings with four chances created in the final third, while Igor Thiago provided extra attacking thrust from the bench.

Next cup opponents loom

Having bowed out at the quarter-final stage in the previous two seasons, Brentford discover their next opponents in Wednesday night's fourth-round draw. That cup momentum provides a vital springboard for the capital club to maintain consistency across domestic league and cup fronts. Andrews will hope key players returning from injury can preserve crucial squad depth ahead of a congested fixture list.