Keith Andrews’ first match as Brentford manager didn’t go to plan, as his team lost 3-1 away to Nottingham Forest on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.
Forest fans had mixed feelings going into the match, especially after a patchy pre-season and the departure of star player Anthony Elanga. But those worries quickly faded. Forest made a fast start and scored early when Brentford failed to clear a corner, allowing Chris Wood to tap in the loose ball. Brentford struggled in the first 20 minutes but managed to hold on and nearly equalised when Yehor Yarmolyuk forced a good save from Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels with a clever shot from the edge of the box.
Forest have had their fair share of frustrations with VAR, and they felt hard done by again just after the 30-minute mark. A free-kick from Elliot Anderson hit Brentford’s Antoni Milambo on the arm, but neither the referee nor VAR gave a penalty. Still, Forest didn’t let that stop them and soon doubled their lead. Dan Ndoye, making his debut, headed in a cross from Morgan Gibbs-White just before half-time.
There was time for one more goal before the break. Anderson played a lovely pass through to Wood, who went around the keeper and calmly scored his second of the match. Forest kept control after the break and almost scored a fourth when Gibbs-White tried an overhead kick, but it went just over the bar.
Brentford were given a late chance to get back into the match when Ibrahim Sangaré was judged to have handled the ball in the box. After a delay, Igor Thiago stepped up and scored his first goal for the club from the penalty spot. However, it was only a consolation, and Brentford’s poor day ended in their first ever defeat on the opening day of a Premier League season.
It was a great start for Forest, who won their first league opener since 2017, as they now look ahead to their UEFA Europa League campaign.
