Nottingham Forest began their Premier League campaign with a convincing 3-1 victory over Brentford, handing new Bees boss Keith Andrews a difficult welcome to top-flight management. A sensational first-half performance at the City Ground, marked by a brace from Chris Wood and a debut goal for Dan Ndoye, ensured a winning start for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
Forest, who had a mixed pre-season and saw the high-profile departure of Anthony Elanga, quickly put any lingering doubts to rest. The hosts were out of the blocks with a lightning-quick tempo and took the lead within five minutes. Following a corner that Brentford failed to clear, Chris Wood reacted fastest to a loose ball and coolly guided it into the net.
Under immense early pressure, Brentford’s defense eventually steadied, and they came close to a leveler when Yehor Yarmolyuk’s well-struck effort from the edge of the area forced a strong one-handed save from Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Controversy flared just after the half-hour mark. Forest fans were incensed when a long-range free-kick from Elliot Anderson appeared to strike the outstretched arm of Brentford’s Antoni Milambo in the box, but both the on-field referee Peter Bankes and the VAR system saw no reason to award a penalty.
Forest channeled that sense of injustice and doubled their advantage just before halftime. Morgan Gibbs-White delivered a precise cross from the left, which found debutant Dan Ndoye, who steered a diving header past Brentford’s new goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher.
The rampant hosts weren’t finished there. In first-half stoppage time, Anderson was again the architect, threading a perfect through-ball for Wood. The New Zealand international rounded Kelleher and rolled the ball into an empty net to give his side a commanding 3-0 lead at the break.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Forest largely in control. Morgan Gibbs-White came close to a highlight-reel goal with an audacious overhead kick that flew just over the bar.
Brentford was handed a lifeline with under 15 minutes remaining when Igor Thiago stepped up to convert a penalty after Ibrahim Sangare was penalized for a handball in the area. It was the striker’s first goal for the club, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation strike for Andrews’ men, who couldn’t find a way back into the game.
The result marked Brentford’s first-ever opening-day defeat in the Premier League. For Nottingham Forest, the victory was their first on the opening weekend of a league campaign since 2017, providing a significant boost ahead of their upcoming UEFA Europa League fixtures.
