Brentford B confirmed top spot in Group D of the Premier League Cup as they beat Aston Villa Under-21s 3-2 at the Laithwaite Community Stadium.

The young Bees impressed on the night as they raced ahead with a 2-0 lead at the break with goals from Ryan Trevitt and Yehor Yarmoliuk. Villa tried to fight back in the second period and netted either side of an Alex Gilbert penalty, but it was the Bees who claimed victory as they set themselves up with a tie against Middlesbrough in the knockout stages of the competition.

Neil MacFarlane had a strong side to choose from on the night with the notable inclusion of Aaron Hickey, who stepped up his recovery from injury with 60 minutes of game time. Also in the starting XI were Matthew Cox and Fin Stevens, alongside Ryan Trevitt and Yehor Yarmoliuk, who returned to the side after missing the win over Erith earlier this week.

The Bees started brightly and created their first opportunity when Michael Olakigbe crossed low for J’Neil Bennett whose prodded effort edged just wide of goal.

Villa’s first threatening moment then came on 17 minutes when Arjan Raikhy curled a free kick from the edge of the box just wide of Cox’s left-hand post. Three minutes later the Bees had their first of the night and it came with a sumptuous effort from Trevitt. A low corner from Gilbert found the Brentford man in space and he swept home with power into the bottom right-hand corner to make it 1-0.

10 minutes later the Bees had their second when they won the ball back high before Yarmoliuk was played into the inside left channel and he fired home with his left foot lifting the ball over the Villa keeper.

It could have been 3-0 on 37 minutes when Hickey surged down the left before holding the ball back before waiting for the run of Olakigbe on the overlap. The winger arrived and the Scot fed the ball down the left for him to cut in and blast an effort towards goal but for a good stop.

Villa did have another moment before the break, though, as Frankie Ealing forced Cox into a smart save when he volleyed goalwards towards the bottom right-hand corner.

The away side had the first attempt of the second period when Lamarie Bogarde curled wide on 51 minutes. Ealing also had another attempt from a tight angle but once again he was denied by a smart save from Cox who pushed the ball away.

They got their goal on 75 minutes when Hayden Lindley was able to strike from the edge of the box. The effort took a deflection before ending up in the back of the net as the ball was taken away from Cox.

Just two minutes later the Bees managed to restore their two-goal advantage. As Trevitt tricked his way into the box and was brought down. Gilbert then stepped up to send Oli Zych the wrong way from the penalty spot.

There was just a couple of minutes before Villa’s second in an entertaining affair as Declan Frith turned home from close range to make it 3-2.

It could well have been 4-2 in the dying moments as Daniel Oyegoke headed just wide from a corner in what was another strong display from the young Bees, who now have their sights set on a trip to AS Monaco next week.

Brentford B: Cox, Stevens, Hickey (Beckham, 60), Oyegoke, Crama, Olakigbe (Yogane, 80) Yarmoliuk, Gilbert (Lisbie, 80) Trevitt, Bennett (Waruih, 60) Adedokun

Subs not used : Jones

Aston Villa Under-21s: Zych, Ealing, Revan, McDowell (Swinkels, 64) A. O’Reilly (Timson, 83), Lindley (Mitchell, 86), T. O’Reilly, Bogarde, Frith, Afoka, Raikhy