Photo via Sky Sports

Brentford hold off Reading to reach round four of Carabao Cup

Brentford earned their spot in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after securing a 2-1 win over League One side Reading at Select Car Leasing Stadium. Callum Wilson opened the scoring just 136 seconds into the match, capitalizing on an errant slip by Paudie O'Connor following a delivery from Dango Ouattara.

Reading fought back vigorously, seeing an O'Connor overhead kick disallowed for dangerous play by referee Tom Nield alongside close calls from Jamie Reid and Conor Masterson. However, the top-flight side countered ruthlessly before the interval when Fabio Carvalho slotted past goalkeeper Joel Pereira from another Ouattara assist.

The hosts continued pressing in the second period, testing Brentford keeper Ellery Balcombe through Josh Stokes and Liam Fraser, while Michael Kayode, Ouattara, and substitute Igor Thiago all squandered chances to extend the lead. Reading eventually narrowed the deficit in the 72nd minute as O'Connor nodded home from a corner kick to trigger a tense final 18 minutes, but Brentford held firm to protect the victory.