Full Time
Brentford beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 in Matchweek 9, their first Premier League win in four games. Forest's own Nikola Milenkovic put through his own net after half an hour, and Igor Thiago made it two in the 76th minute after substitute Jaidon Anthony set him up. Forest had plenty of shots and almost nothing to show for them, with their first effort on target arriving in the 79th minute. Brentford climb to 12 points and 7th on the current table, while Forest drop to 7 points and the bottom of it, and a furious Oliver Glasner suggested afterwards that the club needs major changes or he might not be around for them.
Pre-match Talking Points
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1Forest arrive 18th on seven points, three adrift of... well, not very far adrift of anyone. Lose here and the bottom three gets uncomfortably familiar. Brentford are 10th on nine points, level with Leeds and Bournemouth, so a win lifts them into the comfortable part of the table in a hurry.
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2These two know each other well and Brentford have generally had the better of it in recent years, but history counts for little in a game between two sides this short of wins. If someone in the pub tells you Forest always turn up for this one, nod politely.
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3Igor Thiago is the Brentford name to drop. He was one of the league's most prolific scorers last season, which is unusual company for a Brentford striker to keep. If he scores today, you can say you saw it coming.
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4The subplot is Forest themselves: one win in eight, and a club that has not been short of managerial drama. Check the line-ups before kick-off, because that's where the real news will be. Brentford have drawn six of their eight games, so something has to give: a side that cannot win against a side that cannot stop drawing.
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5The hook is the draws. Brentford have drawn six of their eight league games, which is a lot of shrugging for one team. Forest have four draws of their own. Put them together and the safest bet in the building is a goalless stalemate, which would make everybody's afternoon feel like a long meeting.
Team Talking Points
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1Brentford's last game was a 2-0 defeat at high-flying Brighton, and it turned on a red card. Striker Igor Thiago was initially booked after a tussle with Brighton's Chema Andrés, but referee Michael Oliver upgraded it to red after a look at the pitchside monitor.
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2Manager Keith Andrews wasn't thrilled. He suggested Thiago had been provoked and questioned how the decision was reached, while also accepting his players need to take responsibility for their conduct. 'We need to learn and grow as a group' was the line – which is manager-speak for 'we'll be having words'.
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3Despite that, Brentford's season is genuinely decent: they're eighth with 14 points from 10 games, and that was only their second league defeat of the season. Five draws means they're hard to beat, if not always easy to watch win.
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4They've already had a statement result, beating Chelsea 3-0 back in October. For a club with a fraction of Chelsea's budget, that's the kind of afternoon fans will be bringing up for years, so feel free to mention it.
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5Next up after the break is Everton at home on 21 November – and with Thiago likely facing a suspension after the red, Andrews may need to find goals from elsewhere. Brentford are only two points off the European places, so it's a big one.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Only two league defeats all season and they battered Chelsea 3-0 – Brentford are a lot better than the 'plucky little Bees' label they still get.
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Avoid saying
"Brentford? Aren't they the ones that just got promoted?" – they've been in the Premier League since 2021. Say that and a Bees fan will politely explain the last five years to you, in full.
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1Forest go into the international break on a high after beating Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground last Saturday. It was their first home league win of the season, and it lifted them out of the relegation zone to around 16th.
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2Liam Delap scored twice, and he came through City's academy, so beating his old club was extra sweet. Jair Cunha opened the scoring after six minutes. Cunha also cleared an Erling Haaland shot off the line, which is the sort of thing defenders tell their grandchildren about.
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3Before Saturday, Forest had gone almost six months without scoring a goal at home. Six months. Mention that to a Forest fan now and they'll laugh, because it no longer hurts.
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4Manager Oliver Glasner said changes were needed after the previous defeat to Brentford, and he made them. Ryan Yates got his first start of the season and was reportedly behind a rousing team talk before kick-off. An academy lad firing up the dressing room is exactly the kind of story Forest fans love.
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5The job now is to stay up. One big win doesn't fix a season, and the bottom of the table is very crowded. Still, beating the team that had won seven in a row at the start of the season does wonders for belief.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Six months without a home goal, then three against Man City. Forest really don't do things the easy way.
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Avoid saying
"Forest are a big club, they'll be fine." Two European Cups is a great history, but it scores no goals, as six goalless months at home proved. Fans know a relegation scrap when they see one, and they don't want it waved away.