Hat-trick hero Sergi Canos is playing the best football of his life and can now catapult his career to new heights, reckons Brentford boss Thomas Frank.

Spanish hotshot Canos fired the Bees to a 3-2 away win at Cardiff on Boxing Day as Frank’s side cut the gap on the Championship’s top two to just a single point.

Brentford are now 15 games unbeaten in all competitions and Frank, 47, is urging Canos to use his prolific exploits as a springboard for more goals in future.

“He has come back from a big injury and people should not doubt how difficult that is,” the Dane said of the 23-year-old.

“But he has never been fitter and better than he is now and this will give him a massive confidence boost and hopefully take him onto the next level.

“The first goal was an incredibly difficult technical skill. The second was another wonder goal, while the third one was maybe a cross, but don’t tell anyone.

“We were okay in the first half but then they scored a spectacular goal. After that, we moved up to another level.

“I didn’t think they had much in the second half apart from set-pieces. They are strong and always good at set-pieces.

“As the players went out for the second half I told them we aren’t going to lose the game. We played quicker, took less touches and took the throw-ins faster.”

Brentford lie just one point adrift of second-placed Swansea and sit four clear of Stoke in seventh as they further cemented their play-off position.

Will Vaulks’ stunner from inside his own half had put Cardiff in front but Canos’ quickfire second-half treble turned the tables and hauled the Bees in front.

Wales midfielder Vaulks scored a 76th-minute second to tee up a grandstand finale but Brentford, who are also looking forward to a Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham having beaten Newcastle in midweek, held on to continue their thrilling run of form.

Frank’s team next host third-place Bournemouth – who had their Boxing Day game postponed because of a coronavirus outbreak at Millwall – on Wednesday in a crunch clash at the top of the table.

The Brentford boss wants his team to emulate the character they showed in the Welsh capital and added: “Our attitude, hard work and togetherness was bang-on today. We really stepped up in the second half.

“We showed a lot of character – we are confident, but humble.”