Nuno Espirito Santo’s side sinks further into turmoil after a brutal 2-0 loss to Brentford.
Nottingham Forest’s hopes of reaching the Champions League were severely dented on Thursday evening after a devastating 2-0 defeat at home to Brentford. The loss at the City Ground leaves Forest struggling to hold onto their sixth-place position with just four games remaining in the season.
Forest entered the match with high aspirations of climbing to third in the Premier League, but Brentford had other plans. The defeat was yet another setback in a frustrating period for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, who are now in danger of missing out on European football entirely.
The first half proved to be a tense affair, with Forest’s frustrations mounting. Keane Lewis-Potter was lucky to avoid a second yellow card for a controversial foul on Ola Aina. However, Brentford would break the deadlock just before halftime, courtesy of Kevin Schade. A long ball from Nathan Collins caught Forest’s defence napping. Aina misjudged the ball, allowing Schade to chest it down and poke it past Forest’s goalkeeper, Matz Sels, to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Forest’s only positive came just before Schade’s goal, when Matz Sels pulled off a brilliant save from Sepp van den Berg’s close-range effort. Yet, it did little to stave off the eventual breakthrough for Brentford, who dominated possession and created more opportunities.
The second half saw Forest attempt a fightback. Anthony Elanga forced Brentford’s goalkeeper, Mark Flekken, into a good save, and Chris Wood missed a header from just seven yards, which could have been Forest’s best chance. Despite their improved efforts, Forest would concede again in nearly identical fashion to the first goal.
Yoane Wissa, who was subject to a £22m transfer bid from Forest in January – a move Brentford rejected – sealed the win for the Bees. A long ball from Flekken was misjudged by Forest’s Nikola Milenkovic, and Wissa pounced on the opportunity. The Brentford forward calmly clipped the ball over Sels, sending the City Ground into stunned silence and making it 2-0.
Brentford’s impressive sixth away win of 2025 pushes them to within two points of a potential Europa Conference League spot. The result marked yet another blow to Forest’s top-four ambitions and deepened their slump, with only four matches left to play.
“We’ve had a bad night, a bad game,” said Nuno Espirito Santo after the match. “The most important thing is to focus on correcting the mistakes we’re making. I’m not worried about the table, but we need to address the errors.”
For Forest, the defeat piles further pressure on their European aspirations. With their form faltering, the prospect of missing out on Champions League qualification looms large. Meanwhile, Brentford’s well-earned victory has brought them closer to a European dream of their own.
