Fulham’s under 21s thrashed Brentford 6-1 tonight as Hayden Mullins’ side started their Premier League Cup campaign in sensational style at Woking.

First half goals from George Okkas and Callum McFarlane gave the young Whites a clear cushion at half-time and, although former Fulham winger Michael Olakigbe pulled a goal back for Brentford from the penalty spot, further strikes from Okkas, Terrell Works, Callum Osmand and Ollie O’Neill completed an emphatic derby win for the visitors.

Mullins made just two changes from the side that had registered a fourth PL2 win out of four against Southampton before the international break with Alex Borto replacing Alfie McNally between the sticks and Kristan Šekularac returning in place of new Albanian senior international Adrion Pajaziti. The Whites began the stronger with O’Neill, who scored twice against the Saints in his first outing of the campaign, coming close to opening the goal against his old club. The Irish under-21 international saw a deflected effort fly fractionally wide of the far post.

Borto scrambled from his line to prevent a Brentford forward from reaching a through ball before Fulham got their fluent football going once again. Ji-Soo Kim blocked brilliantly at the end of an outstanding Fulham move that saw Works play a one-two at pace with Matt Dibley-Dias before pulling the trigger. Cypriot youth international George Okkas drove wide from distance – but the Bees failed to heed the warning.

Okkas, often a scorer of outstanding goals during his time in the academy, opened the scoring just before the half hour mark with a sensational striker. He left a defender for dead with a lovely feint inside and then fired home with his weaker right foot from an acute angle. McFarlane doubled the lead eight minutes before half time having found a yard of space in a crowded penalty area to locate the bottom corner with his trusty left foot.

O’Neill almost made it three at the start of the second half but the winger was denied by a fine save from Vincent Angelini and Olakigbe instead reduced Brentford’s arrears six minutes into the second half when he took the contentious penalty he had won himself. That buoyed the home side with Kim sending a free header wide from a free-kick and Ethan Brierley almost equalising with an excellent curler midway through the second period.

Okkas’ second strike of the evening, a fine first-time effort into the bottom corner, gave Fulham some breathing space just as Brentford were asking searching questions. Chris Donnell came off the bench to add some bite to the visitors’ engine room but the Australian should have wrapped up victory rather than shoot straight at Angelini after a lovely move involving Šekularac and Osmand.

Works made the points save in the last minute of normal time with a glorious volley and Mullins’ side finished an encouraging evening in utterly merciless mood. They added two superb goals in the stoppage time stages with a sensational bicycle kick from Osmand making it 5-1 before O’Neill rounded off the scoring with a screamer into the top corner to conclusively seal revenge for last season’s semi-final defeat at the hands of the Bees.

BRENTFORD B: Angelini, Farr, Zabeli (Laidlaw 76), Kim Ji-Soo, Adedokun, Brierley, Yogane (Morgan 73), Owen, Hay (Dickov 65), Young-Coombes, Olakigbe. Subs (not used): Fredrick, Waruih.

GOAL: Olakigbe (pen 51).

FULHAM UNDER 21s (4-2-3-1): Borto; Tanton, Araujo, de Fougerolles (de Jesus 76), Essenga (Lanquedoc 84); Okkas, Dibley-Dias (Donnell 72); Šekularac, Works, O’Neill; McFarlane (Osmand 72). Subs (not used): Allen.

GOALS: Okkas (28, 68), McFarlane (37), Works (89), Osmand (90+6), O’Neill (90+10).