Analysis: Andrews left with selection headache after Bournemouth win | OneFootball

A busy week has begun in style for Brentford, with back-to-back victories and clean sheets, and Tuesday night's gritty 2-0 Carabao Cup success at Bournemouth booked Keith Andrews' side a place in the third round.

The Bees head coach has targeted a decent cup run, and the west Londoners built on their resilient 1-0 win over Aston Villa at the weekend with a hard-earned victory at the Vitality Stadium.

Goals either side of the break from Fábio Carvalho and substitute Igor Thiago did the damage for a much-changed Brentford side, and the way his entire squad stepped up left Andrews beaming come full-time.

Hákon Valdimarsson, Kristoffer Ajer, Ethan Pinnock, Frank Onyeka and Aaron Hickey all made their first starts of the season, and the Bees delivered another display brimming with passion and defensive nous to defeat the Cherries.

A quick glance at the match stats will tell you that Icelandic giant Valdimarsson made four saves, the pick of which came from Evanilson late on - but the numbers don't quantify the 23-year-old's secure handling and presence on a night when the Bees were under the cosh for long spells.

In front of Valdimarsson, Ajer and Onyeka also delivered powerhouse displays to stake their respective claims for a start against Sunderland in the Premier League this Saturday.

With only five top-flight minutes under his belt so far this season, Ajer bagged a full 90 and made key contributions: the Norwegian laid on Carvalho's opening goal with a superbly cushioned header, before sliding in heroically late on to make a goal-line clearance.

Onyeka, who afterwards praised his new manager's communication skills, was a central figure, and the midfielder turned in an action-packed display to keep his competition at the Gtech on its toes. No Brentford player won more tackles (four) or aerial duels (four) than the Nigerian, and Onyeka also played more accurate passes (35) than any Bees outfielder.

Victims of the reshuffle that followed the Bees' opening day defeat to Nottingham Forest, Carvalho and Rico Henry returned to the starting line-up with a bang on the south coast.

Among his side's best performers on the night, Henry was typically diligent and industrious on the left flank while Carvalho provided the creative spark that won the Bees the game. The former Fulham and Liverpool technician showed wonderful anticipation and desire to slot home Brentford's first goal, and his quick break and ability to offload the ball under pressure led directly to Thiago's decisive 65th-minute strike.

On the subject of Thiago, we should mention that as well as expertly snaffling his second goal of the 2025/26 campaign, the Brazilian made more tackles (four!) than any player during the entire game after entering the fray as a second-half substitute.

Afterwards, head coach Andrews again touched upon his side's "selfless" approach, and Thiago (who also made an interception and a clearance) pitched in at both ends during his cameo.

The Bees' latest shutout marked their first back-to-back clean sheets since February, when West Ham and Leicester both blanked against the west Londoners, and Brentford will now look to complete a very different type of hat-trick at the Stadium of Light this weekend.