Forest outclass Brentford as Andrews suffers losing start

Nottingham Forest opened their Premier League campaign in emphatic fashion with a 3-1 victory over Brentford, spoiling Keith Andrews’ first game in charge of the Bees, Sport360NG reports.

The hosts needed just five minutes to strike, Chris Wood continuing his fine scoring form from last season by poking home after Brentford failed to clear a corner.

Forest controlled proceedings throughout the first half, and doubled their lead shortly before the interval when debutant Dan Ndoye rose highest to nod in Morgan Gibbs-White’s precise lofted pass.

The advantage was extended further in stoppage time as Elliot Anderson capitalised on a misplaced pass from Sepp van den Berg, threading through Wood, who rounded new goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to finish calmly.

Brentford’s response was limited, though Igor Thiago did reduce the deficit from the penalty spot in the 78th minute after Ibrahim Sangare was penalised for handball. The Brazilian’s strike was his first for the club following his move from Club Brugge.

The result gave Forest their first opening-day league win since 2017, while Andrews endured a difficult start after succeeding Thomas Frank in the summer.

Gibbs-White pulls the strings

Off the field, Forest have had a summer of intrigue, securing Europa League football after Crystal Palace were sanctioned, and finalising several late transfers including Omari Hutchinson and James McAtee, both unveiled to supporters before kick-off.

But it was Ndoye, a £36m signing from Bologna, who made an immediate impact with a debut goal. More importantly, the afternoon underlined the value of tying Gibbs-White to a new contract amid interest from Spurs and Manchester City.

The captain was central to everything Forest produced, dictating play with authority alongside Anderson and carving open Brentford repeatedly. His assist for Ndoye’s header showcased his vision, while he nearly added a goal of his own with a spectacular overhead attempt.

Having struggled in front of goal during pre-season, Forest demonstrated they are once again equipped to challenge near the top after narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification last term.

Testing times for Brentford

For Brentford, the defeat reflected a summer of upheaval. With Thomas Frank and his assistant Justin Cochrane departing for Tottenham, Andrews has inherited a squad shorn of key figures Bryan Mbeumo, Christian Norgaard and Mark Flekken, all sold during the window.

Yoane Wissa’s absence amid links to Newcastle added to the uncertainty, leaving the new manager to field debutants Kelleher, Antoni Milambo and Michael Kayode, while Jordan Henderson returned to Premier League action as a second-half substitute.

Any plans Andrews had were undone almost instantly. Nathan Collins’ misjudged clearance conceded a needless corner, and from the resulting set-piece, poor organisation allowed Wood to pounce for the opener.

From then on, the visitors never recovered. Brentford, who have prided themselves on staying out of relegation trouble since arriving in the Premier League, sit just above the bottom three on goal difference after matchday one, underlining the scale of the rebuild facing their new boss.