Two outstanding strikes were enough to sink a Reading side who, for the second game in a row, walk out empty handed after a performance full of missed opportunities.
After Ola John failed to get any proper connection on his early shot, Brentford took the lead with Ryan Woods taking advantage of the lack of pressing from the Reading defence, to fire home an unstoppable shot from 25 yards out.
The Royals got themselves back on level terms after the break when Matej Vydra and Garath McCleary, both on off the bench, linked up well for the latter to produce a cool finish without pressure past David Button.
Opportunities came and went for the hosts, but the Bees got a second against the run of play, when Sergi Canos produced the kind of goal that comes off just once in a hundred attempts, lobbing two Reading defenders before volleying home the finish to give Brentford a much needed win on the road.
Things got worse for Brian McDermott when defenderMichael Hector was dismissed with a few minutes to go for a dive in the box, which earned him a second yellow card.
Here are THREE things we learned from this game:
1) McDermott still has a lot to learn
Brian McDermott' decision to bring on 22-year-old striker Rowan Liburd, whilst leaving the likes of Orlando Sa on the bench was frowned upon by the Reading faithful.
One of the biggest criticisms of McDermott's first reign was his naivety in his substitutions, and early signs are that old habits die hard.
Choosing 23-year-old Liburd over summer signing Sa is a curious move and it shows that the Reading boss may still be learning about his squad.
2) Reading need to be more clinical
This has became more apparent over the last few weeks, with the Royals having had 22 shots against Wolves, with just three hitting the target.
It was more of the same against Brentford, with just 4 out of 15 shots finding themselves on target.
If Reading don't start getting more shots on target soon, then the play-offs could be well out of sight, if they aren't already.
3) Lasse Vibe looked isolated
Reading dominated the match in almost every aspect, and when the ball broke forward, striker Lasse Vibe was forced to chase the ball down on his own.
This meant that the Royals could pick the ball up and launch attack after attack, putting Dean Smith's side under constant threat.
Allow this to happen against more potent teams and Brentford could find themselves suffering heavy defeats and they may struggle to make the play-offs.
Reading and Brentford fans...What did you make of the game? Where do Reading need to improve if they are to make the play-off? Can Brentford go one better this time around and achieve promotion? Let us know what you think in the comments below!