Sunderland beat Brentford to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals

Sunderland reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals by beating Brentford 3-2 at the Stadium of Light. The tie turned during a 13-minute burst in the first half, when Sunderland scored three times after Brentford had threatened early on. The closing stages still brought a scare for the home side.

Régis Le Bris’ side found the net through Chemsdine Talbi, Timur Tutierov and Malick Fofana. Callum Wilson pulled one back before the break, and Igor Thiago scored in stoppage time. Sunderland held on to secure its place in the last eight.

Le Bris was pleased with both the result and the energy his players showed. “It’s really positive. We are on this demanding journey and it’s a new challenge for the club, for the players, and I think the energy is getting better,” Sunderland’s manager said. He also underlined the value of the win to the team’s momentum: “I think winning is important. It feeds the feeling of the dynamic and it helps for everything.”

The result was also encouraging after Le Bris made wholesale changes to his starting line-up. He described the season as a challenge across the Europa League, the Carabao Cup and the league, and said the win showed character from his side. He also singled out Jocelin Ta Bi, praising his bravery and three key passes.

For Brentford, Andrews regretted the spell in which his side conceded three goals. “Poor defending, poor mistakes and judgement. We need to learn from it,” he said. Andrews also insisted Brentford had taken the competition seriously and wanted to progress as far as possible. But after reducing the deficit, his team could not prevent Sunderland from reaching the quarter-finals.