Nottingham Forest‘s quest for Champions League football suffered a major setback as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Brentford at the City Ground.
Forest, aiming for a Premier League top-five finish, were hoping to respond after their FA Cup semi-final exploits saw their league rivals pull away over the weekend. However, it was Brentford who looked sharper from the outset, securing their sixth win in eight away matches.
The Bees had an early chance when Sepp van den Berg met Mikkel Damsgaard’s precise free-kick, but goalkeeper Matz Sels produced an impressive save to deny the visitors. Forest’s frustration grew further when Brentford’s Keane Lewis-Potter avoided a second yellow card after a contentious foul on Anthony Elanga.
The visitors broke the deadlock just before half-time thanks to a defensive error. A slip by Ola Aina allowed Kevin Schade to race through and calmly slot home, scoring his first goal in nine matches.
Forest improved after the interval, finally testing Brentford keeper Mark Flekken through Anthony Elanga’s fierce strike, expertly tipped away by the Dutchman. Despite dominating possession, Forest struggled to break down Brentford’s stubborn defence.
Their evening went from bad to worse in the 70th minute when Yoane Wissa capitalised on another defensive lapse. Flekken’s long goal-kick bypassed the entire Forest defence, leaving Wissa to delicately chip the advancing Sels.
Forest manager Nuno Espírito Santo will be concerned by back-to-back home defeats for the first time this season, which seriously jeopardises their Champions League ambitions. Meanwhile, Brentford retain slim hopes of European football, though they require several results elsewhere to go their way.
