British sprinter Matthew Brennan continues dream Vuelta a Espana debut with stage five win

British starlet Matthew Brennan continued a brilliant start to his first grand tour as he took a dominant victory on stage five of the Vuelta a Espana .

The 21-year-old arrived at the race in sparkling form after two stage wins at the Vuelta a Burgos earlier this month and he immediately made himself at home at grand tour level, winning stage two's chaotic finish in Manosque, before doubling up just three days later.

His Visma-Lease a Bike squad delivered the perfect leadout in Roquetes, Terres de l'Ebre, with Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte launching him into the final 150m and the Briton holding off his rivals with ease, holding up two fingers in celebration as he crossed the line.

Brennan said: "It's better than a normal day job! It's fantastic, second one in the bag, first grand tour. You can see throughout the day everyone just went full [gas], I'm very thankful to finish it off again, I think the boys are also quite relieved.

"[The leadout] was pretty spot on, we had the two boys pulling on the front until the final few k, then Wout and Christophe, the best guys you can have for this type of thing. They supported me until the final. Last corner I lost my wheel a bit, the paint was a bit slippery, but glad we could finish with the arms in the air.

"I wouldn't say I'm a sprinter, I can climb a little bit. Especially with the support I have here, when you've got these guys with you it really gives you the confidence to go on and achieve more."

Regardless of his own self-classification Brennan has proved a force to be reckoned with on either classic, flat sprinters' terrain or more punchy sprint finishes. Perhaps the most appropriate characterisation for him would be as an all-around Classics rider in the same vein as Van Aert.

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's pure sprinter Jordi Meeus - who most notably won on the Champs-Elysees in 2023 - was second with EF Education-EasyPost's Vincenzo Albanese third, and Laporte held on for seventh after his leadout.

Race leader Tadej Pogacar 's UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad controlled proceedings until the latter stages, prompting speculation the Slovenian might fancy a go at a third stage win of this race already.

But ultimately the sprinters' teams took over to set up a rare bunch finish in a Vuelta with minimal chances for the fast men.

A category-three climb, the 3.9km Puerto de Pauls, inside the final 30km eliminated some of the sprinters, including Lidl-Trek's Mads Pedersen, but Brennan was well protected within the peloton and appeared barely troubled by his efforts in the finale.

Pogacar remains in the overall lead after the 173.3km run from Falset, Costa Daurada, with no change in the general classification. His compatriot Primoz Roglic of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe sits 3'21" off his lead, with Enric Mas of Movistar another 11 seconds back and Britain's Oscar Onley of Netcompany-Ineos fifth at 3'45".

The race continues on Thursday with a hilly 177.4km stage from Alcossebre to Castello.