Ivan Toney's 26th goal of the season gave Brentford a 1-0 win at Blackburn to move them second in the Sky Bet Championship.
The decisive moment came in the 10th minute when Darragh Lenihan marked his 200th Blackburn appearance by conceding a penalty that Toney clinically dispatched.
It moves the forward ahead of the league totals set by Ollie Watkins last season and Neal Maupay the season before, who hit 28 in all competitions before departing for the top flight.
Brentford's latest hotshot is on course to beat that total and could arrive in the Premier League alongside the west London side, who ended a run of three successive away defeats.
Blackburn are now five without victory at Ewood Park, but after a spirited second half their concern will be a serious-looking knee injury to Bradley Dack, who went down in some pain in added time.
Ryan Nyambe came in for Joe Rankin-Costello from the deserved draw against Swansea, while the Bees recalled Tarique Fosu and Christian Norgaard.
Brentford's intense pressure brought a 10th-minute opener as Tom Trybull's loose pass was seized upon and Fosu's trickery bamboozled Lenihan, who conceded a penalty.
Toney was coolness personified, taking a two-step run-up before clinically dispatching the penalty into the bottom right corner.
The Bees continued to press the hosts intently, and saw Mathias Jensen drill wide before an even better chance five minutes before the break when Toney's deft flick-on found Vitaly Janelt, who fired across the face of goal.
Blackburn rang the half-time changes and it gave them new impetus. Joe Rothwell's superb ball found Dack, who dragged agonisingly wide from a narrow angle.
Toney reminded the hosts of his considerate threat in the 59th minute with an audacious quick free-kick from all of 50 yards that landed on the roof of the net with Thomas Kaminski struggling.
The impressive Rothwell tested David Raya twice in quick succession, first from outside the area and then 20 minutes from time when the ball fell invitingly 12 yards out – but he did not connect cleanly enough and the former Blackburn stopper gathered gratefully.
The hosts' search for an equaliser stretched the game and left gaps at the back. Toney had a chance to exploit that but could not find the target 10 minutes from time.
Kaminski made an outstanding point-blank save to deny Marcus Forss from close range before Toney hit the side-netting.
At the other end, a lengthy stoppage was required after Dack went down clutching his knee following a collision with Raya.
Brentford held on after play resumed and the roar from the visiting players demonstrated the importance of this win.
