Brentford 0-1 Nottingham Forest: Joe Lolley strike gives visitors win in Championship promotion clash

Lolley celebrates after firing Forest to within two points of an automatic promotion spot
Getty Images
Malik Ouzia @MalikOuzia_28 January 2020

Brentford missed out on the chance to go third in the Championship after they were beaten 1-0 by promotion rivals Nottingham Forest at Griffin Park on Tuesday night.

Joe Lolley’s deflected strike early in the first half proved decisive as the Bees’ six-game home league winning streak was brought to an end, with Forest leapfrogging Fulham into third themselves.

Brentford had Mathias Jensen fit to start in midfield and Said Benrahma available following the death of his father, but captain Pontus Jansson was absent with a hip injury, while West Ham target Matty Cash started at right-back for Forest, despite ongoing speculation over his future.

It was the visitors who took the lead against the run of play with less than a quarter-of-an-hour played when Lolley was left in too much space on the edge of the box and saw his well-struck effort take a wicked looping deflection that left David Raya no chance.

Brentford’s response to going behind in a home league match for the first time since early November was a good one, and had Ollie Watkins spotted Benrahma’s run on his outside during one breakaway they would probably have been level, but the Championship’s top scorer opted to go it alone and shot just wide.

(Getty Images)

Brice Samba was angering the home support with his elaborate time-wasting skits at every goal-kick, and he suffered the indignation of being booked after just 23 minutes for his antics. He should also have been picking the ball out of his net soon after, but Christian Norgaard failed to get any serious contact on Jensen’s terrific delivery.

For all Brentford’s possession, those were their only clear-cut opportunities in a first-half in which Forest could be fairly satisfied with a solid away performance, often a threat on the break, without ever coming close to doubling their lead.

(Getty Images)

Soon after the break, however, they should have, when the in-form Lewis Grabban beat the offside trap but could only stab tamely at Raya as the ball dropped over his shoulder.

The striker would have had a simple header to make amends were it not for some excellent covering defending from Henry, and he was also denied a penalty not long after the hour mark when seemingly felled by a clumsy Julian Jeanvier challenge as the second half took a far more even shape.

Emiliano Marcondes was sent on in place of Jensen and immediately bent a peach of a ball across the face of goal but no red and white shirt could get on the end of it.

The Dane had scored his first ever Brentford goal with a dipping free-kick from out wide in the FA Cup against Stoke earlier this month, and almost repeated the trick six minutes from time, but Samba was on hand to tip over the bar and ensure Forest go within two points of an automatic promotion spot.