Brentford (H) 17/08/25

Nottingham Forest 3-1 Brentford 

Wood 5’, 45+2’                                   Thiago 78’ (Pen)

Ndoye 42’

                               
Last season we did something unthinkable. We were doubted, even put down to be relegated. But through it all we stuck together. The hierarchy, the manger, the players, the fans; we were all as one, not listening to the outside noise, allowing us to kick on. Maybe we didn't quite achieve what we all thought was possible but going from relegation battles to qualifying for Europe in the space of a year shows nothing is impossible. Now here we are; embarking on another rollercoaster 9 months. The outside noise continues to write us off but we're Nottingham Forest and no one should be stupid enough to do that.                                               

Off the back of a disappointing preseason, the Reds were back on home turf ready to kick off their new campaign to Keith Andrew’s Brentford. With only a few new signings coming to the City Ground, Nuno named a side that rarely disappointed him last season. However, with the loss of Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United, Swiss international Dan Ndoye was placed in the side as his replacement. James McAtee and Omari Hutchinson were announced Saturday night but were unavailable to play. 

After a brilliant display from Forza Garibaldi and Mull of Kintyre sang louder than ever, Forest’s 25/26 season was underway. Previous stats weren't on the hosts side as their last win on the opening day came back in 2017/18. As for the Bees, they hadn’t lost an opening game in the Premier League in their history. However, it was the Reds who took an early advantage. Elliot Anderson whipped in a corner from the left towards Chris Wood at the back post. The Kiwi missed the initial header but fortunately it bounced back up for him to stab home on the volley. Since Nuno took over in December 2023, only Mohammed Salah has more non-penalty Premier League goals than Forest’s number 11.  

The hosts were playing some lovely football and linking up well with one another, leaving Brentford with barely a sniff in the opening 25 minutes. The visitors’ first good chance came after Morgan Gibbs-White was dispossessed in Forest’s defensive third. Milambo latched onto the ball before finding Thiago. The striker laid the ball off for Yehor Yarmoliuk who drove forward and unleashed a strike which was well saved by Sels. Despite Forest dominating the game, the Bees found themselves with another good opportunity. On the left, Rico Henry skipped past Ndoye before pulling the ball back for Mathias Jensen. He passed to Thiago around 8 yards out but Neco Williams put in brilliant challenge to stop the Brazilian scoring. 

Forest’s dominance paid off and they deservedly doubled their lead through debutant Ndoye. Gibbs-White had the ball on the edge of Brentford’s box, trying to create space to fire in a cross. He did so beautifully with his weaker foot, turning from Kayode to put the ball on a plate for Ndoye. The Swiss found the top left corner with a diving header to get himself off the mark in the Garibaldi. The Reds seemed to be going into the break with a 2-0 lead but things got even better for them. Anderson latched onto a loose ball to play a perfect pass that split the Brentford defence in half. The run from Wood was brilliant too, anticipating his teammate’s pass and timing his run to perfection. The striker found himself one on one with Kelleher before taking it round the ‘keeper and passing it into an empty net. This was a long way back now for the Bees. 

Brentford came out the stronger team in the second half, needing a way back. Forest waved off the early pressure before getting their foothold back on the game. The hosts were trying some hopeful long range efforts but their captain came close with a spectacular acrobatic attempt. Callum Hudson-Odoi skipped past Kayode down the left before crossing into the danger area. With his back to goal, the attacking midfielder attempted a bicycle kick that flew just over the crossbar. 

Forest’s back 4 were holding resolute and seemed to be holding onto their clean sheet. However, that all changed when the Bees were awarded a penalty. Following a Brentford corner, the ball was bouncing in the box before Ibrahim Sangare was judged to have moved his right arm towards the ball. Thiago stood over the ball from 12 yards out before calmly rolling the ball down the middle, sending Sels diving to his right. The Reds will feel the spot kick given against them was harsh after their appeal for handball was waved away in the first half, when Anderson whipped in a free kick from the left which was sent behind for a corner after Milambo moved his arm away from his body.

Forest saw out the last 10 minutes of the game, not letting the visitors have any real chances to further decrease the deficit, to land their first 3 points of the season.  

We couldn't have asked for a better start to the season. We played some lovely, exciting football at times and the team look really together. We also showed that we're happy to have possession and that we are adapting our playing style this season which I know was a worry to many fans. I thought our 3 midfielders ran the show, but my standout was Elliot Anderson. He was everywhere, putting in the work for the team and to top it off that pass was outstanding. I'm glad that Ndoye got a goal as that will really boost his confidence. Let's keep this up! 

Forest: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Ndoye (Jota Silva 79’), Gibbs-White (Yates 84’), Hudson-Odoi; Wood (Igor Jesus 79’)

Brentford: Kelleher; Kayode, van den Berg, Collins, Henry (Hickey 88’); Jensen (Henderson 69’), Yarmoliuk; Lewis-Potter (Onyeka 69’), Milambo (Schade 46’), Carvalho; Thiago