Brentford progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 4-2 penalty shoot-out win over Aston Villa, after the tie ended 1-1 following 90 minutes at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Hakon Valdimarsson, who had gifted Harvey Elliott the opener just before the break, became the unlikely hero by saving spot-kicks from John McGinn and Matty Cash, before Mikkel Damsgaard tucked away the decisive penalty to send Keith Andrews' side through.
Bees Settle After Cagey Opening
Brentford had to soak up early pressure from a Villa side desperate for a goal after drawing a blank in their first four Premier League matches. Andrews' team gradually took control, with Sepp van den Berg's free header brilliantly tipped over by Marco Bizot and Dango Ouattara raising pulses with encouraging runs down the right.