Match report

Nottingham Forest Defeats Brentford 2-0 in Premier League Clash

Brentford
Brentford
0–2
FT
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest
Jan 25, 2026

Nottingham Forest stunned Brentford with a decisive 2-0 victory at Griffin Park, securing their place higher up the table in the Premier League. Igor Jesus and Tawanda Awoniyi found the back of the net for Nottingham Forest, who showcased resilience and tactical brilliance to overcome Brentford's challenges.

Key Facts

  • • Final Score: Brentford 0–2 Nottingham Forest
  • • Goals: Igor Jesus (12'), Tawanda Awoniyi (79')
  • • Substitutions for Brentford: Sepp van den Berg for K. Ajer, D. Ouattara for M. Damsgaard, Y. Yarmolyuk to J. Henderson, R. Henry for A. Hickey, M. Kayode for K. Lewis-Potter
  • • Yellow Card: Y. Yarmolyuk (66')

Lineups

Brentford

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Starting XI

  • 1 C. Kelleher (G)
  • 33 M. Kayode (D)
  • 20 K. Ajer (D)
  • 22 N. Collins (D)
  • 3 R. Henry (D)
  • 18 Y. Yarmolyuk (M)
  • 27 V. Janelt (M)
  • 8 M. Jensen (M)
  • 24 M. Damsgaard (M)
  • 7 K. Schade (M)
  • 9 I. Thiago (F)

Substitutes

  • 12 H. R. Valdimarsson
  • 2 A. Hickey
  • 4 S. van den Berg
  • 5 E. Pinnock
  • 6 J. Henderson
  • 11 R. Nelson
  • 19 D. Ouattara
  • 23 K. Lewis-Potter
  • 45 R. Donovan

Nottingham Forest

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Starting XI

  • 26 M. Sels (G)
  • 34 O. Aina (D)
  • 31 N. Milenkovic (D)
  • 5 Murillo (D)
  • 3 N. Williams (D)
  • 6 I. Sangare (M)
  • 8 E. Anderson (M)
  • 7 C. Hudson-Odoi (M)
  • 10 M. Gibbs-White (M)
  • 16 N. Dominguez (M)
  • 19 Igor Jesus (F)

Substitutes

  • 18 A. Gunn
  • 4 Morato
  • 9 T. Awoniyi
  • 14 D. Ndoye
  • 21 O. Hutchinson
  • 22 R. Yates
  • 24 J. McAtee
  • 29 D. Bakwa
  • 37 N. Savona

Timeline

  1. Nottingham Forest
    12' Nottingham Forest Goal · Normal Goal
    Igor Jesus
  2. Brentford
    37' Brentford subst · Substitution 1
    Off: K. Ajer · On: Sepp van den Berg
  3. Brentford
    37' Brentford subst · Substitution 2
    Off: M. Damsgaard · On: D. Ouattara
  4. Nottingham Forest
    61' Nottingham Forest subst · Substitution 1
    Off: N. Dominguez · On: O. Hutchinson
  5. Brentford
    66' Brentford Card · Yellow Card
    Y. Yarmolyuk

    Argument

  6. Brentford
    67' Brentford subst · Substitution 3
    Off: R. Henry · On: A. Hickey
  7. Nottingham Forest
    68' Nottingham Forest subst · Substitution 2
    Off: Igor Jesus · On: T. Awoniyi
  8. Nottingham Forest
    79' Nottingham Forest Goal · Normal Goal
    T. Awoniyi · Assist: Morgan Gibbs-White
  9. Brentford
    81' Brentford subst · Substitution 4
    Off: Y. Yarmolyuk · On: J. Henderson
  10. Brentford
    81' Brentford subst · Substitution 5
    Off: M. Kayode · On: K. Lewis-Potter
  11. Nottingham Forest
    87' Nottingham Forest subst · Substitution 3
    Off: C. Hudson-Odoi · On: Morato

Match Stats

Stat Brentford Nottingham Forest
Fouls 11 10
Pass Accuracy 86% 74%
Offsides 1 0
Red Cards — —
Total Shots 10 7
Corners 6 5
Total Passes 567 295
Yellow Cards 1 0
Blocked Shots 3 3
Shots on Target 1 2
xG 1.81 0.78
Shots off Target 6 2
Possession 66% 34%
Goals Prevented 0 0
Accurate Passes 490 219
Shots Inside Box 9 5
Saves 0 1
Shots Outside Box 1 2

Key Match Notes

  • ▸ Igor Jesus opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a well-placed shot, giving Nottingham Forest an early lead and momentum.
  • ▸ The substitution of Tawanda Awoniyi for Igor Jesus at the hour mark proved crucial as Awoniyi scored the second goal in the 79th minute, sealing Nottingham Forest's victory.