Keith Andrews hails squad depth as changed Brentford thrash Birmingham 6-1 in Carabao Cup

Brentford sealed their place in the Carabao Cup third round with an emphatic 6-1 thrashing of Championship side Birmingham at St Andrew's. Callum Wilson opened the scoring for the visitors in the sixth minute before Demarai Gray briefly restored parity. The Bees then ran riot courtesy of a brace from centre-back Nathan Collins, alongside strikes from Aaron Hickey, Mikkel Damsgaard, and Igor Thiago.

Brentford manager Andrews insisted he had no hesitation in making sweeping changes to his starting line-up for the cup tie. Explaining his faith in the squad's depth and collective quality, Andrews said: "I didn't really blink an eyelid, making so many changes.

"There is a huge narrative around cup games with coaches making changes, but with the squad we have, there are fine margins between who plays and doesn't play. We needed to compete really hard to play the game we wanted. I thought overall we had a really good performance."

Andrews made eight changes from the side that defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, with only Collins, Dango Ouattara, and Vitaly Janelt retaining their spots.

That tactical decision was fully vindicated by a standout performance from Jaidon Anthony, who bagged a hat-trick of assists, created four chances, and registered seven touches in the opposition box. The commanding victory underlines the fierce internal competition within the Bees' ranks for the 2026-27 campaign.

Brentford now await their next opponents in the Carabao Cup third-round draw alongside fellow qualifiers Hull City and Ipswich Town. The resounding away win provides a major confidence boost ahead of their return to Premier League action this weekend. With a fully energised and firing squad at his disposal, Andrews will look to maintain early-season momentum across all competitions.