Brentford blaze to 4-0 win over leaky Leicester
Brentford's Fabio Carvalho celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Bryan Mbeumo Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
(Reuters) - Brentford's Bryan Mbuemo scored one goal and made another in a 4-0 win over Leicester City on Friday as a dismal display of defending saw the relegation-threatened Foxes slump to their sixth home defeat in a row in the Premier League.
With 59 goals conceded and 10 defeats in their last 11 league games, Leicester now boast the worst defensive record in the league, and Friday's performance offered little to suggest that Ruud van Nistlerooy's side are capable of turning things around.
An early chance for Jamie Vardy got the game off to a positive start, but that was one of few bright spots for the home fans to cheer as things quickly fell apart.
The rout started when Bees playmaker Mikkel Damsgaard teed up Youane Wissa to open the scoring in the 17th minute, and 10 minutes later the Dane picked out Mbeumo on the right, and he curled home an unstoppable shot to make it 2-0.
Five minutes later Leicester's defence was caught napping again at a free kick as Mbuemo picked out Christian Norgaard, who flashed a header into the net, prompting several fans to head for the exits.
Norgaard then struck the left-hand post with another header in first-half stoppage time and the Bees also had a goal ruled out for handball before the break as Leicester's rearguard offered scant resistance.
The introduction of Argentine forward Facundo Buonanotte in the 55th minute gave Leicester's attack a much-needed boost, but the spark he provided was quickly quenched by a torrential downpour that went on for most of the second half.
Instead, Brentford substitute Fabio Carvalho rattled in a late fourth as the Bees moved up to 10th in the standings on 37 points, while their hosts remain in 19th on 17 points, with Van Nistelrooy cutting a glum figure as he discussed his side's performance.
"You have to acknowledge it's a huge step back. There was hope after recent performances, the beginning of the game was hopeful ... after the bright start from us, we were never in the game again and at halftime the game was done," he told Sky Sports.
"Overall, the general level and the difference between the level between Brentford and us was big. They showed they are big steps ahead of us at the moment."
Brentford goal-scorer Wissa displayed a ruthless streak as he explained how the game played out.
"I know they are not in top shape and we are, and as soon as we scored we started to control the game from the first minute to the end," he said.
"We wanted to control the game, keep a clean sheet and get the three points."
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