Brentford booked their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after edging past League One side Reading in a tense encounter at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
The visitors raced into an early advantage inside three minutes when Dango Ouattara threaded a pass through the home defence, allowing Callum Wilson to slot home calmly. It marked only his second goal since joining the club over the summer.
Brentford doubled their advantage almost immediately after the restart. In the 46th minute, Ouattara again turned provider, releasing Fabio Carvalho, who slid the ball past goalkeeper Joel Pereira with composure. The strike was especially significant given it came in Carvalho’s first appearance since suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament back in November 2025.
Reading nearly conceded a third when Ouattara’s close range header drew a save from Pereira, with Michael Kayode failing to convert the loose ball that followed.
The hosts pushed for a way back into the match and had a penalty claim waved away in the 71st minute. Moments later, from the resulting corner, defender Paudie O’Connor rose highest to nod home from close range, giving Reading a lifeline. Earlier in the game, O’Connor had thought he’d scored a spectacular overhead kick, only to see it chalked off for a high foot inside the box.
Brentford almost wrapped things up late on when substitute Igor Thiago spurned a clear chance, and Reading were denied a dramatic equaliser in stoppage time as Jannik Schuster’s header was disallowed for a foul in the build up.
Despite the scare, Brentford held firm to progress, having fallen at the quarterfinal stage in each of the last two seasons. Their next opponents will be confirmed when the draw takes place on Wednesday.
