Toney on target as Brentford chop down Forest in five-goal thriller
The headlines in the buildup to this clash were dominated by Toney’s return to competitive action after an eight-month ban for breaching the FA’s gambling rules.
Keen to ensure this game was about football and not sentiment, Forest started fast and took the lead in double-quick time when Danilo teed himself up and volleyed home from the edge of the area to hand the visitors an early lead with their joint-league high seventh league goal inside the opening 15 minutes this season.
The script was written for a response and no prizes for guessing who got it.
In almost identical fashion to his goal in this corresponding fixture last season, Toney stood over a free-kick from 20 yards and bent a sumptuous effort around the wall and past a despairing Matt Turner.
The Bees had the wind in their sails by now and came tantalisingly close to completing the comeback shortly after when a bout of penalty box pinball ended with Keane Lewis-Potter crashing an effort off the underside of the crossbar.
Brentford chances kept coming, continually falling to Lewis-Potter.
He was afforded two opportunities in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, but after his first effort was rebuffed by Turner, his second was an even better chance that he fluffed wide from six yards.
He needn’t have worried too much though, as his blushes were spared by an unlikely source - Ben Mee - who broke free at the near post to power Brentford ahead on his 50th appearance for the club.
Their joy was short-lived, however, when a resurgent Chris Wood found a yard in the box and glanced home Callum Hudson-Odoi’s wicked delivery.
In another wicked twist, Brentford hit back instantaneously, and in style too, as the much-disrespected Neal Maupay swivelled in the area and rifled home a sensational left-footed effort into the bottom corner.
Having dropped the most points from winning positions in the top flight this season, seeing the game out was always likely to be a nervy affair, but Thomas Frank’s side needn’t have worried too much as they held on with relative ease to claim a victory that steers them further clear of the drop zone.
In turn, defeat leaves Forest deeper in the mire, but still with a four-point cushion to 18th spot.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ivan Toney (Brentford)