LEICESTER – Brentford hammered Leicester City 4-0 and set a club record of four consecutive away wins in the Premier League on Friday.
Thomas Frank’s men were all over Leicester and were 3-0 up before halftime.
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Yoane Wissa took Mikkel Damsgaard’s exquisite flick and bundled the ball in from close range after 17 minutes.
Ten minutes later, Bryan Mbuemo cut in from the right and crashed in a curling shot.
Then skipper Christian Norgaard’s deft header sealed the match as a contest with 33 minutes gone.
The abject first half could have been worse for Leicester, which saw Kristoffer Ajer’s shot rebound off the post just before halftime and a Keane Lewis-Potter score disallowed for handball.
The introduction of Facundo Buonanotte with almost an hour gone gave the home side a lift but it was too late for a club that remained second from bottom on the table and without a goal at King Power Stadium since Dec. 8.
Fábio Carvalho rounded off the scoring for Brentford near time.
It was the first time Brentford has scored three goals in the first half of an away match in the Premier League and Damsgaard said the challenge now was to match its away form with wins at home. The London club has picked up just one point from a possible 15 at home since Dec. 21.
“It is very nice we can get the away wins, now we just need to get the home wins and add it together,” the Dane said. “We are of course dreaming a little but we know how tough it is to sneak in so we take it one game at a time.”
Leicester also set a record although not one it will want to boast about. No side in Premier League history has ever lost six consecutive home games without scoring in the same season.
“We have to acknowledge this is a huge step back, it is clear," coach Ruud van Nistelrooy said. “There was hope after certain performances, and in the beginning of the game with three chances, it could have changed the game. After the bright start we were never in the game again and by halftime the game was done.
“The level between Brentford and us was big. They showed they were big steps away from us at the moment.
“We all have to lift ourselves first and then lift each other. That is always the case. Everyone is going home really disappointed and gutted with the loss and disappointed with the levels we showed.”
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer