NOTTINGHAM Forest’s dream season continued as they snatched away the best home record in the Premier League with a clinical win at Brentford.
Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga scored the goals as Forest became the first side to not only take all three points at the Gtech Community Stadium, but also to silence a Brentford attack that had scored 26 goals in eight previous home games.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side and the Forest fans can tuck into their turkey dreaming of Champions League football next season if they can maintain this remarkable form.
Only Chelsea have picked up more points on their travels this season than Nuno’s men.
Forest travelled to West London having visited Arsenal and the two Manchester clubs on their previous three away days.
Given that Brentford had collected 22 points out of a possible 24, scoring 26 goals in eight home games so far this Premier League season, a date at the Gtech was an even more daunting task for Nuno’s men.
There were some worrying signs early on.
With only four minutes gone, Yoane Wissa played in Mikkel Damsgaard only for the Dane to scuff his shot and see it pushed away by Forest keeper Matz Sels.
Brentford then forced a succession of corners and one of them came out to Bryan Mbeumo.
His curling cross picked out Kristoffer Ajer whose header skimmed inches wide.
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Wissa then took advantage of hesitation by Morato and Neco Williams to nip between the two Forest defenders and hook in a shot which landed on the roof of the net.
Having soaked up the Brentford, Forest carved out a chance of their own just after the half-hour.
Elliot Anderson combined with Williams before crossing for Chris Wood to head goalwards, being denied only by a plunging stop by Mark Flekken.
Williams was involved again when the visitors took a 38th-minute lead.
He sprinted onto a Callum Hudson-Odoi pass, beat Ajer and pulled the ball back cross the Brentford area where Ola Aina was waiting to steer home his second goal of the season.
It was the fourth time this season that Brentford had gone behind at home. They won each of the previous three.
If that suggested a comeback by the home side, Forest clearly hadn’t read the script.
After all, they had already won at Anfield and Old Trafford this season, and secured a draw at Stamford Bridge.
Nuno’s side have dispensed with their inferiority complex that marked their first two Premier League campaigns.
Within six minutes of the restart they doubled their lead.
Keane Lewis-Potter, converted into a left-back in recent weeks by Brentford boss Thomas Frank, made a has of controlling a long punt forward.
The ball bounced into the path of Anthony Elanga, who immediately drove infield found the far bottom corner with a curling shot.
The winger might have made it 3-0 three minutes later, but this time his shot was beaten away by Brentford keeper Flekken.
His opposite number Sels then produced one of the saves of the season as Brentford tried to respond, albeit that the Forest stopper used his head.
Mbeumo headed a cross into the path of Ajer whose shot was turned away at point-blank range by Sels’s head as he threw himself in the way of the ball.
For Brentford, the loss of their proud unbeaten home record this season compounded the disappointment felt by their tame Carabao Cup exit at Newcastle in midweek.
But the day belonged to Forest who will spend Christmas Day in the Champions League places.
