- Nottingham Forest continued their impressive season with a 2-0 win v Brentford
- Ola Aina and Anthony Elanaga scored, with Forest going up to third place
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Just as impressive as their victories at Anfield and Old Trafford, Champions League-chasing Nottingham Forest ended Brentford’s unbeaten home record with another away-day masterclass.
Forest love their travels under Nuno Espirito Santo and only Chelsea have collected more points on the road this season.
Goals in each half from Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga completed a textbook smash-and-grab after Brentford banged their head against a brick wall in the opening half hour and again later chasing a comeback.
For Elanga, the killer second goal when he capitalised on a mistake by Lewis Keane-Potter was the perfect way to celebrate being restored to the starting line-up having been used off the bench in the previous two games.
At the other end, the central defensive trio of Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic and Morato were outstanding, tackling and heading everything that moved.
Wing-backs Neco Williams and Aina combined for the opening goal and when goalkeeper Matz Sels was needed, he saved from Kristoffer Ajer at point-blank range with his face – part of the commitment that has made Forest unlikely occupants of a top-four place.
Anthony Elanga scored on his return to the starting lineup as Nottingham Forest beat Brentford
Elanga scored in the early stages of the second half, with Forest taking all three points
Ola Aina had given Forest the lead against Brentford when he found the net in the 38th minute
Brentford’s home run had to end sometime, and this was their first ever Premier League defeat against Forest.
They dominated the opening half-hour with Mikkel Damsgaard denied by Sels and Ajer and Yoane Wissa going close but when Forest rose from their early slumber, they were ruthless.
The first warning sign for Brentford arrived after 32 minutes when Callum Hudson-Odoi and Williams carried the ball into the final third. Elliot Anderson’s cross was met firmly by the head of in-form Chris Wood and Mark Flekken reacted well to stop the header at point-blank range.
Encouraged, the visitors then struck to take the lead six minutes later.
The begloved Williams reached the byline and from his low cross Wood distracted Ben Mee at the near post and the ball reached Aina to fire home from 12 yards for his first Forest away goal.
Given Brentford had come back from conceding the opening goal to win on three separate occasions this season, Forest needed a second – and it duly arrived after 51 minutes.
Makeshift left-back Keane Lewis-Potter took a poor touch trying to control the ball deep in his own half, and Elanga didn’t need a second invitation to seize on the chance, cut inside and drill low left-footed into Flekken’s bottom corner.
Bees fought hard to keep their unbeaten home record alive but they suspected it wasn’t their day when Ajer smashed a chance goalwards from eight yards and it struck Sels after bouncing just in front of him.
Aina netted his second Premier League goal of the season to put Forest in the ascendancy
Forest star Aina celebrates at the final whistle following his team’s impressive victory
Brentford’s Paris Maghoma is challenged by Nottingham Forest’s Nicolas Dominguez
Nuno Espirito Santo watched on as his side moved up to third place in the Premier League
It was a particularly painful end for Brentford substitute Mads Roerslev who was cut above the eye by an accidental elbow from Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi and himself had to be replaced, summing up Brentford’s unfortunate afternoon.
‘It was a tight game that could have gone either way,’ said their manager Thomas Frank are a rare home lapse. ‘Forest are a team that defends unbelievably well.’
Elanga, who also scored off the bench last weekend, thanked former striker Jermain Defoe for giving him some tips on sniffing out chances.
‘I got a nice message from him about getting in the box. I want to get myself in areas to score,’ he said. ‘I work on it in training where you build muscle memory.’
