Brentford 4 Huddersfield 1: Terriers swept aside by Bees’ second-half onslaught

HARRY BUNN’S first-half equaliser gave Huddersfield Town false hope as they were ultimately swept aside by Brentford, whose win moved them back into the Championship play-off places.
Huddersfield Town goalscorer Harry Bunn (Picture: Steve Ellis).Huddersfield Town goalscorer Harry Bunn (Picture: Steve Ellis).
Huddersfield Town goalscorer Harry Bunn (Picture: Steve Ellis).

A full debut brace for Everton loanee Chris Long and strikes from Alex Pritchard and Jon Toral clinched the points after Bunn had levelled for the visitors early on. Long took just four minutes to break the deadlock, running at the visitors’ defence before smashing a blistering shot past stunned Terriers goalkeeper Alex Smithies.

Long almost made it two 10 minutes in, only a point-blank stop from Smithies denying the livewire defender after he had raced on to Toumani Diagouraga’s through-ball.

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Bunn equalised midway through the half when he found a yard of space on the edge of the box and drilled an angled drive just inside the far post.

Bunn’s equaliser signalled Town’s intent to attack when they were behind, but the striker’s goading of the Griffin Park fans saw him lucky to escape the referee’s censure.

Brentford looked far livelier after the break and restored the lead, Jota leaving three defenders in his wake before seeing his drive parried by Smithies only as far as Long, who rifled the loose ball into the roof of the net.

On-loan Tottenham midfielder Pritchard made it three on 70 minutes with a deflected curling effort which looped over Smithies and in.

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Brentford laid siege to the Town goal from the hour mark onwards and, after two goal-line clearances, Toral volleyed home from the edge of the box in stoppage time.

Jacob Butterfield had cleared off the line, but the ball dropped invitingly for Toral, who belted it home from the edge of the box to give the scoreline a realistic look.

It was no more than a dominant Bees side deserved against a rugged Huddersfield outfit, who seemed determined to play on the counter-attack from the outset.

Yet before the interval the Bees looked lacklustre on a pitch that got harder as the game wore on, but they rediscovered their attacking flair after the break.

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Huddersfield threatened little throughout, their only worthwhile effort at goal a long-distance drive from James Vaughan which was palmed wide by Brentford goalkeeper David Button.

Brentford: Button, Odubajo, Tarkowski, Moore, Bidwell, Douglas, Diagouraga (Toral 72), Jota, Pritchard, Dallas (Smith 77), Long (Gray 73). Unused substitutes: Craig, Dean, McCormack, Bonham.

Huddersfield Town: Smithies, Smith, Hudson, Wallace, Scannell (Coady 79), Hogg, Edgar (Miller 79), Butterfield, Robinson (Carroll 46), Bunn, Vaughan. Unused substitutes: Murphy, Lolley, Gobern, Majewski.

Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire).