ASSISTER ACT 4
Mbeumo lays on the goals as Bees sting Hatters
By Steve Judge
NO Ivan Toney, no problem for Brentford. Yoane Wissa stepped up in the central striking role to all but seal the Bees’ Premier League status with a clinical firsthalf double against a weary looking Luton.
This was supposed to be the day Toney and Bryan Mbeumo were reunited as a strike force for the first time since May. But a hip injury meant the England striker did not make the bench.
The classy Mbeumo showed he can create chances for anyone, with a hand in four of Brentford’s five goals.
Thomas Frank’s side are now 10 points clear of the Hatters who still languish in 18th place. The gap on the pitch looked even bigger. Rob Edwards’ men have been manfully battling to bridge a gulf in quality against the top-flight’s best all season. Yesterday, that was exacerbated by a tired performance.
The fight may have gone out of the legs of the players but it certainly has not gone out of the Kenilworth Road stands.
Hatters manager Edwards went on an apologetic walk to the fans at full-time and was greeted with a roar of, “Come on Luton”.
They have not given up hope, even if this was a major setback.
This was the first of three remaining home games against a side that had lost on the road at Sheffield United and Burnley. Victory would have lifted Luton out of the bottom three.
But that never looked on the cards once a minute’s applause for former boss Joe Kinnear had subsided.
The talismanic Ross Barkley looked worn out by carrying his side’s attacking threat. He got away with an early loose pass which ended with Keane Lewis-potter firing horribly wide.
The Bees winger then had a header wellsaved before Wissa put the visitors ahead on 24 minutes. Mbeumo’s pass down the wing allowed Wissa to side-foot a curling finish into the top right corner.
The DR Congo striker doubled the lead from close range on the stroke of half-time when Reece Burke failed to intercept Mbeumo’s cross.
Luton looked a little livelier after the break but the stuffing was knocked out of them when Ethan Pinnock headed in Sergio Reguilon’s 62nd-minute corner.
Lewis-potter finally hit the target when Mbeumo picked him out with a cross with the outside of his left boot.
Mbeumo’s twinkle feet then paved the way for Kevin Schade to add a fifth on 86 minutes.
Luke Berry grabbed a late consolation but the Hatters will need to give the fans so much more to cheer about in their final four games if they are to have any chance of staying up. LUTON: Kaminski 6; Burke 5 (Berry (46) 6), Mengi 6, Osho 6; Kabore 5 (Onyedimna (35) 6), Lokonga 5 (Hashioka (71) 5), Barkley 6, Doughty 6; Clark 5 (Mpanzu (81) 6), Chong 6 (Townsend (71) 6); Morris 6 BRENTFORD: Flekken 6; Ajer 7 (Roerslev (76) 5), Pinnock 7, Collins 6, Reguillon 7; Damsgaard 6 (Norgaard (72) 7), Jensen 7 (Yarmoliuk (82) 6), Janelt 7; Mbeumo 9, Wissa 8 (Maupay (82) 6), Lewis-potter 7 (Schade (72) 6) STAR MAN: Bryan Mbeumo – A hand in four goals and only the bar denied him a worldie of a goal.
Jarred Gillett 6