Andrews declares Brentford will aggressively pursue EFL Cup success.

Keith Andrews emphasized that Brentford is treating the EFL Cup with utmost seriousness, stating they intend to pursue it aggressively.

The team secured their advancement to the fourth round of the EFL Cup with a 2-1 victory against Reading on Tuesday.

Callum Wilson scored early in the match at Select Car Leasing Stadium, netting a goal just three minutes in. Fabio Carvalho added another before halftime, with both goals assisted by Dango Ouattara.

Reading tried to stage a comeback when Paudie O’Connor pulled one back in the 72nd minute, but Brentford held on to secure their spot in the next round.

Brentford showed more control throughout the match than the score might indicate, registering 3.21 expected goals (xG) compared to Reading’s 1.4, creating eight significant chances, and dominating possession at 70.9%.

Igor Thiago, coming off the bench, recorded the highest xG at 0.68, while Mikkel Damsgaard created four chances and completed 37 passes in the offensive third.

“We approached the last round with seriousness, and we did the same tonight,” Andrews noted.

“It’s a significant competition for us, and we aim to go as far as possible. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t.”

“We’re determined to give it our all.”

A moment to savour 

Fábio Carvalho is back and back on the scoresheet pic.twitter.com/RPhaZGBKNC

— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) September 15, 2026

Andrews also addressed the current state of refereeing in the league, following controversy surrounding Manchester City’s recent win over Manchester United.

“As a player, I always valued the respect and communication established with officials,” he explained. “We’ve moved away from allowing them to officiate freely and to make mistakes, which is truly unfortunate.”

“They now have to revert to old habits that they may no longer be accustomed to.”