Brentford 2-1 Nottingham Forest: Josh Dasilva’s last-gasp winner seals Bees comeback
Brentford 2-1 Nottingham Forest: Josh Dasilva scores controversial late winner as the Bees come from behind to dent Forest’s Premier League survival hopes
- Birthday girl Danilo broke out of the impasse for the first time just before the break
- After a subdued performance, Ivan Toney’s free kick gave Brentford a late equaliser
- But a Josh Dasilva last breath winner saw the Bees wipe out all three points
Josh Dasilva completed a comeback win for Brentford in stoppage time to inflict a heavy relegation blow on Nottingham Forest.
Led by a goal from Brazilian midfielder Danilo on his 22nd birthday, Forest’s dream of just a second away win of the season imploded spectacularly in the last 10 minutes.
Ivan Toney’s low free kick was tapped onto the post by Navas before the ball hit the Costa Rican again and trickled over the line for the equaliser.
Then, in extra time, Dasilva’s strike proved the winner on 94 minutes after a lengthy VAR check showed Toney was not in an offside position for Navas.
A defeat means Forest – who have won just once away all season – will be in the bottom three at the end of the current match day, with rivals Leicester and Everton set to face each other on Monday.
Steve Cooper’s side won their first game in 11 against Brighton in midweek, losing Neco Williams with a broken jaw.
Joe Worrall replaced him, but there was still no place in the 18 for Jonjo Shelvey, who had been suspended the previous two games for disciplinary reasons.
Brentford enjoyed a quiet first half with a Navas save from Bryan Mbuemo and Ethan Pinnock, but Forest remained resolute and took the lead with their first shot on target just before half-time.
A long throw was half-thrown to Morgan Gibbs-White on the edge of the penalty area, whose drive from the hapless Mee diverted into Danilo’s path.
He converted for the first time to score goals in successive games for the £18 million midfielder who had joined from Palmeiras in January.
Cooper brought in the energetic Andrew Ayew and midfield tiger Cheikh Kouyate to try and hold onto the advantage, but it was Thomas Frank’s substitutions for Brentford that had the biggest impact.
On 82 minutes, the previously anonymous Toney took responsibility for a free kick 25 yards from goal and drilled it low towards the bottom right corner.
A diving Navas reached the ball but played an ignorant one-two with the post and it squeezed in.
The Bees, enjoying a fantastic season at the top of the table, felt like a winner. Substitute Frank Onyeka was denied by a superb reflex stop from Navas, but the former Real Madrid and PSG star was left helpless by Dasilva’s strike, the Brentford player making a bit of an impact after replacing Rico Henry after an hour.
