Marcus Forss scored a first half hat-trick as Brentford reached the Carabao Cup Fourth Round with a record-breaking win over Oldham Athletic. Forss became the first player to hit a treble for The Bees in this competition and got four in total as he helped Brentford to their highest ever win in the competition. Yoane Wissa got two of his own, including a spectacular acrobatic effort, and there was an own goal as The Bees ran out 7-0 winners on the night.

Oldham came to West London bottom of the EFL and were behind within 150 seconds. Things scarcely got better for them and for long periods they worked to keep the score line down. Brentford were ruthless, attacking throughout and ensured there would be no shocks as they progressed through the Third Round tie.

It took just three minutes for Brentford to take the lead. Mathias Jensen spread the play to the right to find Mads Roerslev in space. The ball in to the box was controlled by Yoane Wissa and he was tripped by Carl Piergiani inside the area. Referee Simon Hooper pointed to the spot and Forss smashed the penalty low past Jayson Leutwiler to put The Bees in front.

It soon became apparent it was going to be a difficult evening for Oldham. Jamie Bowden tried a speculative effort from kick off, that sailed well wide of goal, leaving Álvaro Fernández untroubled, and they spent most of the early stages in their own half. Jensen dictated play from the centre of the field with Roerslev, on the right, and Saman Ghoddos willing recipients for his passes.

Oldham tried to play out through midfield but found it difficult to build any attacking momentum, with Frank Onyeka chasing all over the pitch when The Bees did not have the ball. The early goal forced Oldham to a more defensive outlook, changing to a back five and leaving Zak Dearnley as an isolated figure in attack. Wissa blasted a snap shot over the bar and then turned a drilled cross from Ghoddos wide at the near post as Brentford hunted early goals.

The second goal came 16 minutes in. Wissa was released in the inside left channel and teased a shot across Leutwiler, beating the goalkeeper to his left. Unfortunately for Wissa, the ball cannoned off the far post, but Forss was there to tap in and double both his and Brentford’s tally for the night.

Ghoddos lashed over from distance and Forss flicked a cross from Dominic Thompson over the crossbar as Brentford maintained complete control of the first quarter of the contest. Oldham tried to offer something in attack and Fernández had to save along range shot from Bowden after he exchanged passes with Davis Kiellor-Dunn. The Brentford goalkeeper then stopped an effort from Dearnley.

Oldham had a decent spell around the half hour, making progress in to Brentford territory on occasion, but The Bees soon regained control and ended the half with a three-goal blast. The third goal was scored by Wissa but owed a lot to Jensen. The midfield man lost possession initially but then burst through a challenge and fizzed a ball through the eye of a needle to release Wissa in space in the inside left channel. Wissa fired low past Leutwiler to get his second goal in two Carabao Cup ties.

Onyeka forced Leutwiler in to a low save after a shot on the turn and the fourth goal came moments later. Brentford forced Oldham to concede possession deep in their own half and Ghoddos found space inside the penalty area. He turned smartly and drilled the ball in looking for Forss only for Raphaël Diarra to turn it past Leutwiler and in to his own net.

Four became five in the blink of an eye. The Bees played their way through the Oldham defence with some rat-a-tat passing around the penalty area. The final ball was played by Ghoddos and Forss had all the time in the world to pick his spot, secure his hat-trick, the first by a Brentford player in this competition, and give The Bees a 5-0 lead.

It could have been even better for The Bees before the interval as they continued to pour forward. A clever pass from Roerslev released Jensen, breaking in to the penalty area. He drilled a ball that flew across the face of goal, eluding everyone arriving. Tariqe Fosu picked it up on the far side, but his shot was blocked. The resulting corner reached Ghoddos, but his effort deflected in to the arms of Leutwiler.

Oldham made a triple substitution at the break to try and salvage something from the game and one of the three – Benny Couto – almost caught Fernández out with a shot from the left side. The Brentford goalkeeper had to be at full stretch to tip the effort away.  Diarra also headed a corner wide later in the half and Oldham were more competitive and combative for long periods of the second half. But it was still mostly a rear-guard action from the visitors.

A low corner caused problems and Zanka and Charlie Goode tried to find the target before Roerslev was crowded out. Wissa shot over the bar and then forced Leutwiler in to a low save after Fosu had recovered a Ghoddos cross. When the sixth goal came, it was possibly the best of the night to that point. Ghoddos found space in the inside right channel and released Roerslev on the outside, the ball was cut back to Forss, and he drilled a shot in to the net off the underneath of the crossbar.

There was no let up from The Bees, who continued to attack. Oldham sat deeper and deeper, protecting their penalty area and trying to limit the damage. Ghoddos had a shot blocked and Forss fired over before The Bees made a triple substitution, which included giving Myles Peart-Harris a debut in the centre of midfield.

Chances continued to come for The Bees with Jensen unable to make good contact with a Ghoddos cross before Goode stung the palms of Leutwiler from almost 40 yards. Mads Bidstrup had a shot blocked after some nice interplay on the edge of the penalty area, which included Ghoddos making the final pass. Bidstrup got on to the loose ball but fired wide.

Wissa had a shot blocked when a free kick was half cleared and then lashed over before Thompson fired wide from a tight angle. Brentford saved the best to last. After a spell of possession on the right, Fin Stevens delivered a cross, Wissa met the cross with an overhead kick that flew past Leutwiler and in to the net. Wissa had two, Brentford had seven and a place in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.

Brentford: Fernández; Zanka, Goode, Thompson; Roerslev (sub Bidstrup 71 mins), Ghoddos, Jensen, Onyeka (sub Peart-Harris 71 mins), Fosu (sub Stevens 71 mins); Wissa, Forss

Subs (not used): Raya, Ajer, Toney, Mbeumo

Oldham Athletic: Leutwiler; Fage, Clarke, Piergiani (sub Da Silva h/t), Jameson; Kiellor-Dunn, Bowden, Diarra, Whelan, Bahamboula (sub Couto h/t); Dearnley (sub Vaughan h/t)

Subs (not used): Danielewicz

Bookings: Clarke (79 mins)

Attendance: 12,819 (599 away fans)