Sunderland win a five-goal cup tie against Brentford

Brentford struck the post and the bar before Sunderland scored

Brentford made eight changes to their starting side but began strongly and hit both the post and the crossbar during the same attack. Sunderland survived, then went ahead in the 26th minute when Jocelin Ta Bi’s low shot crossed the goalkeeper and Chemsdine Talbi touched it into the net.

The opening goal changed a match that had belonged to the visitors. Sunderland began to find space behind the Brentford full-backs and turned that space into two more goals before half-time.

Ta Bi assisted Sunderland’s second and third goals

Three minutes after the first goal, Ta Bi reached the byline and passed the ball back to Timur Tutierov, who scored. In the 39th minute, a separate attack ended with a cross to Malick Fofana, whose far-post header made it 3-0.

Sunderland scored three times in thirteen minutes, but Brentford answered before the interval. Callum Wilson finished from close range and reduced the gap to two goals.

Igor Thiago’s late header came after Jensen’s shot

Brentford controlled more of the second half and forced Sunderland to defend closer to their own goal. The hosts cleared several crosses and tried to slow the match whenever they regained possession.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Sunderland stopped Mathias Jensen’s shot and Igor Thiago headed in the loose ball. Brentford had no time to build another attack after the restart.

The first-half lead carried Sunderland into the quarter-finals

Sunderland did not control every phase of the match. Brentford hit the post and the crossbar early, then scored before half-time and again in stoppage time.

Their decisive advantage was the short spell in which three attacks produced three goals. Brentford recovered after a poor thirteen minutes, but the late response was not enough to prevent a 3-2 defeat.