Late strikes from Ivan Toney and Josh Dasilva saw Brentford come from behind to condemn Nottingham Forest to another Premier League defeat on the road.
Forest had led through birthday boy Danilo, who celebrated turning 22 with a goal in first-half stoppage-time.
But Toney equalised with a free-kick eight minutes from time, taking his Premier League tally for the season to 20.
🎶 Dasilva you know pic.twitter.com/X1oS4G2v1h
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) April 29, 2023
Advertisement
And with Forest down to 10 men after Danilo went off injured, substitute Dasilva secured a 2-1 win to send relegation-threatened Forest spinning to a seventh straight away defeat.
Brentford dominated the first half and Bryan Mbuemo’s early cross was met with a glancing header from Rico Henry which flew across goal and wide.
Kevin Schade then headed straight at Forest goalkeeper Keylor Navas from Vitaly Janelt’s cross.
Forest’s first chance of the opening half came when Serge Aurier overlapped and played the ball back to Brennan Johnson.
The striker lofted the ball high into the box where Taiwo Awoniyi looped his header over David Raya and over the crossbar.
Navas was called into action again to save Ethan Pinnock’s close-range shot in a crowded area with Mikkel Damsgaard unable to connect with the rebound.
The Costa Rica keeper then held Ben Mee’s header from another Mbeumo free-kick, before Forest took a shock lead.
Morgan Gibbs-White’s shot from the edge of the box ricocheted off the heel of Mee into the path of Danilo, who rifled the ball home from eight yards.
The January signing from Palmeiras, who scored his first goal for the club in their midweek against Brighton, celebrated with a Samba dance in front of the travelling fans.
After the break Dasilva saw a shot blocked and Mee’s attempted scissor-kick flew over.
Raya saved from Gibbs-White and then held an acrobatic overhead kick from Moussa Niakhate as Forest searched for a second.
But they were undone after Cheikhou Kouyate fouled Frank Onyeka 25 yards out.
Toney, who had done little of note all afternoon, stepped up to curl the free-kick between Navas and his far post.
In doing so the striker became the first Bees player to hit 20 goals in the top flight since the 1930s.
FULL-TIME Brentford 2-1 Nott’m Forest
Brentford leave it late to claim all three points, with Ivan Toney's free-kick and Josh Dasilva's strike turning things around for the hosts#BRENFO pic.twitter.com/GslmjTIwbK— Premier League (@premierleague) April 29, 2023
Forest, who had used all their substitutes, had to see out the match a man down after Danilo limped off.
Brentford sensed their chance and Navas scrambled to keep out Onyeka’s deflected shot before Aaron Hickey drove narrowly wide.
It was Dasilva who hit the knockout blow, cutting in from the right wing and lashing home the winner in stoppage time.
