Full TimeSecond Half ends, Brentford 2, Nottingham Forest 1.Post updateAttempt missed. Ivan Toney (Brentford) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Josh Dasilva.Post updateAttempt blocked. Ivan Toney (Brentford) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Josh Dasilva.Post updateAttempt saved. Ivan Toney (Brentford) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Josh Dasilva.Post updateGoal! Brentford 2, Nottingham Forest 1. Josh Dasilva (Brentford) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Mathias Jensen with a through ball.Post updateAttempt blocked. Ivan Toney (Brentford) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Mathias Jensen with a cross.Post updateCorner, Brentford. Conceded by Cyrus Christie.Post updateAttempt saved. Ivan Toney (Brentford) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Mathias Jensen.Post updateFoul by Cyrus Christie (Nottingham Forest).Post updateMathias Jensen (Brentford) wins a free kick in the attacking half.Post updateAttempt blocked. Ivan Toney (Brentford) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Mathias Jensen.Post updateCorner, Brentford. Conceded by Cyrus Christie.
Nottingham Forest were stunned as a late Brentford fightback denied them precious points in their fight for Premier League survival. Brazilian midfielder Danilo marked his 22nd birthday by putting Forest ahead just before half-time, reacting quickest to steer home Morgan Gibbs-White’s shot which deflected into his path. Brentford had plenty of the ball but created few clear chances until Ivan Toney’s 82nd-minute free-kick went in off Forest keeper Keylor Navas. With Forest hanging on and only 10 men on the pitch after Danilo went off injured, substitute Josh Dasilva scored the 94th-minute winner which was only confirmed after a long VAR check. Forest players argued Brentford forward Yoane Wissa was stood in an offside position and blocking the view of Navas when Dasilva’s shot came in, though replays suggested he was narrowly onside. But Forest head coach Steve Cooper is still not convinced it was the correct decision. “The guys are fuming over it. I’m still waiting for that clear-cut image. It’s a massive call in this time of the season,” he said.
After beating Brighton at home on Wednesday, Forest looked well on course for a second win in four days and earn a rare away victory. But, with all their nearest rivals yet to play this weekend, they remain in 17th place and just a point ahead of third-bottom Leicester. “It is a sense of massive disappointment – one that got away,” added Cooper. “It was always going to be a tiring week with three games and there were a lot of tired legs on the pitch. It was a game of fine margins. We felt in a comfortable position – Brentford weren’t creating a lot of chances. The two goals we’ve given away are really disappointing and it has cost us the game. No problem of the effort of the players but you’ve got to do everything right until the end of the game.”
Forest had an excellent opportunity to put pressure on their relegation rivals as none of them played on Saturday, and for a long period after Danilo’s opening goal, and with Brentford providing little threat, it looked as though Cooper’s team were going to move four points clear of the bottom three. Forest’s survival hopes were given a significant boost when they fought back to beat a Brighton side chasing European qualification at a raucous City Ground on Wednesday, lifting them out of the relegation zone with 24 points earned in front of their own fans. The challenge has been transferring their ability to pick up points at home into doing the same on the road, but they were denied even a point at a time when each one is so precious.
Brentford have continued to defy the odds and expectations in their second season in the Premier League, having already surpassed their points tally in an impressive debut campaign. Anything less than a win against Forest would have all but ended the Bees’ push for Europe, though it still appears they have too much ground to make up with the sides above them having played fewer games, Brentford maintained the pressure on the likes of Brighton, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Tottenham. “We didn’t play our best. Sometimes you have to find a way to win and we did it ugly today,” said Brentford skipper Toney, who became the first Bees player since Dave McCulloch in 1937-38 to score 20 top-flight league goals in a season. “I think Forest are a great side, dug in well and if they stick at it they give themselves a chance of staying in the league.” It’s still possible [for European football] but we have to focus on ourselves and give ourselves a chance.”
Player of the match Danilo with an average rating of 6.80 was instrumental in Nottingham Forest’s performance, while Brentford’s Ivan Toney with an average rating of 6.29 was also impressive as he scored his side’s equaliser and provided an assist for Josh Dasilva’s winner which was only confirmed after a long VAR check. Despite Forest’s best efforts, they were unable to secure victory and remain just one point ahead of third-bottom Leicester in 17th place as they continue their fight for Premier League survival.