Follow live coverage as Brentford face Nottingham Forest today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.
The likes of Arsenal and Liverpool will be chasing Pep Guardiola's side, but just as fascinating will be the race for Champions League places, with more teams than ever before having designs on top-four finishes. Chelsea remain big-spending, Manchester United's latest rebuild continues and both Tottenham and Newcastle will expect improvements this year - yet it was Aston Villa who snared fourth last term.
Meanwhile, it's Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town who made it back to the elite after promotion last year and each will have hope they can make it more than a one-year stay. Follow the latest live action from the Premier League below:
Brentford FC 0 - 2 Nottingham Forest FC
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
17:08Brentford are handed their first home defeat of the season as Nottingham Forest walk away with all three points today after securing a largely comfortable 2-0 win at Gtech Community Stadium. It was an uneventful first half, though the hosts raced out of the blocks with energy. They started the game on the front foot but failed to take their chances in the first half, with Mbeumo the sole attacking force that looked to pose any threat to Forest’s defence. He set up Damsgard with an opportunity in the fourth minute that the Dane shot straight at Sels, and continued trying to make something happen but received little support. Forest took their time to get into the game, but they ended the first half strongly after a series of close opportunities. In the 38th minute, Williams rolled a low cross into the box that missed Wood but found Aina, who slotted home from close range. Six minutes into the second half, Elanga doubled the lead following a poor defensive error from Lewis-Potter. The Swede ran onto a long ball and stole it off Lewis-Potter from behind before firing it into the bottom left corner. The game was all but put to bed by then, with Brentford showing little signs of any real fightback. There isn’t much separating the two sides in terms of xG, suggesting that the Bees had their chances but just weren’t clinical on the night. Frank’s side registered 0.80 xG, while the Tricky Trees marginally bettered that with an xG value of 0.84. This result sees Forest provisionally go up to third in the table, while Brentford drop down to 12th. Nuno’s side take on Tottenham at home next on Boxing Day, and Brentford go away to Brighton the following day. That’s all from us tonight, thank you for joining this live commentary. We hope you’ve enjoyed it!
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
17:00FULL-TIME: BRENTFORD 0-2 NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
17:00Roerslev looks to have had a knock on earlier in the match and is bleeding, so he will come off for Konak in the last minute.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:59Mbeumo dances around the box again, looking to create enough space to shoot or deliver towards the far post, but he is closed down well by Morato and nothing comes of it. That's the story of Brentford's night really.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:57Williams' good night comes to a close as he is replaced by Toffolo.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:55Awoniyi takes Wood's place for Forest for the remaining few minutes of the match.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:51The fourth official indicates we'll have about five minutes of added time.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:49Sels is down in Forest's box now. Lewis-Potter played a cross straight at the keeper, who held on easily, but Wissa was running onto the potential rebound and his boot grazed the back of Sels' head. The keeper receives some treatment and then gets the game restarted with a long goal kick up the field.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:47Yellow Card Mikkel Krogh Damsgaard
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:46Dominguez makes a tackle from behind to try and stop Brentford driving forward and he earns himself a booking in the process. We're seeing some consistent tactical fouls from Forest now as they try to break up the game and cut down the Bees' momentum.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:44Damsgard runs with the ball, looking for some support or a passing option. He is hurried though and runs the ball out of play.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:43Forest push forward, trying both to score and perhaps just slow the game down a bit and hold onto the ball. Jota Silva drives and he stops to wait for support, but slips as he tries to block the ball and Brentford win it back.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:40Schade makes way now for former Liverpool midfielder Carvalho.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:39Brentford have had 77.3% possession over the last 15 minutes and most of the match has been played in Forest's half. Time is running out, but is there a chance for the hosts to pull one back?
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:38Brentford have attempted 18 crosses in this match, higher than their season average of 17. They mount another attack and the ball is played into the box, but Forest's defence clears. It's a bit too predictable at the moment from the hosts.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:38Yellow Card João Pedro Ferreira Silva
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:34Substitution Morgan Anthony Gibbs-White João Pedro Ferreira Silva
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:32Forest make a good movement on the break and the ball falls for Hudson-Odoi to take on the shot, but Mee is there to block it. Brentford's defensive shape has been unconvincing today, but that was a good block from Mee.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:32Brentford put together another good passing sequence as the hosts push to pull a goal back. But the Forest defence closes the space well to smother the attack and the ball is played upfield.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:26Ajer's last involvement will be that shot on target as he replaced by Roerslev.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:26Substitution Vitaly Janelt Edmond-Paris Maghoma
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:25Elanga's night comes to an end shortly after his goal as he is replaced by Yates for the remaining 25 minutes or so.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:24BRENTFORD COME SO CLOSE!!! After some patient build up, Janelt delivers a cross into the box from deep and Mbeumo is able to head it back across goal. Ajer is there and he fires a powerful effort on target, but Sels somehow keeps it out! That's a lot better from the hosts.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:23The corner doesn't yield to anything, but Brentford retain the ball and recycle well.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:24Substitution Elliot Junior Anderson Nicolás Martín Domínguez
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:23Mbeumo continues to be Brentford's big spark! He makes another excellent run down the right touchline, riding nearly four or five challenges. But there's not enough space for him to get a cross into the box and the Bees win a corner. Can they do something from here?
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:23Forest have a habit of starting the second half well this season. They have scored seven goals in the first 15 minutes after the break. Only Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur (both with eight) have scored more in the Premier League this season.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:16After scoring a stoppage time winner against Aston Villa last weekend, Elanga has scored just his second goal in five appearances with that finish.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:15Yellow Card Yoane Wissa Bileko
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:14Gibbs-White picks up a yellow for a desperate grab on Wissa's shirt.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:10Goal Anthony David Junior Elanga
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:09The Bees have a surprisingly impressive record of three wins, zero losses and zero draws when they have conceded the opening goal at home in the Premier League this season. Is a comeback on the cards for the hosts?
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:08Forest look to pile on the pressure early as Aina tries to drive into the box, but Brentford play their way out of trouble superbly to win a throw in high up in Forest's half.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:05Brentford get the ball rolling for the second half!
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
16:02With Forest taking the lead, the Opta live win probability favors them to keep it, with a win placed at 63.6%. A draw is the next likeliest outcome at 23.6%, while the chances of a Brentford comeback are low, but certainly not impossible, at 12.8%. Frank will be hoping his side don’t live to regret not putting away their chances in the first half and he’ll be hoping for a more clinical performance from his forwards. Nuno will be happy with the way his side ended the first half and will be looking to keep the result as is to put his side well into the top four.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:58It’s been a tepid first half here in West London as Nottingham Forest head into the break with a 1-0 lead over Brentford. Despite trailing at the break, the hosts have the dominant side, retaining more of the ball and controlling the pace of the game. They started the game on the front foot with Mbeumo creating a flurry of chances in the opening minutes, the first of which was a cut back pass in the fourth minute for Damsgard, who shot straight at Sels. Mbeumo continued creating chances and Wissa had another opportunity to find an opener after Morato made a mess of a simple clearance, but his effort looped over the crossbar. Forest took their time to get into the game but came to life around the 30 minute mark, creating a fair few chances for Wood, including a header that Flekken kept out with a brilliant reflex save. Aina put the visitors in front in the 38th minute after Williams played a low cross into the box, looking for Wood, that rolled through for the Nigerian international to tuck home with ease. It’s fairly even at the break in terms xG, suggesting that there isn’t much to separate the two sides. Brentford generated 0.38 xG, while Forest managed 0.36 xG of their own.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:50HALF-TIME: BRENTFORD 0-1 NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:50We'll have just one minute of added time at the end of the first half.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:49Brentford are holding onto the ball well now and just trying to find an opening against a deep Forest defence. Patience is the name of the game now, but Elanga does well to win his side a goal-kick.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:46Brentford's early defensive fragility continues. The Bees have conceded 18 first-half goals in 17 games, only Southampton (20) have conceded more in the Premier League this season.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:46Aina has scored his second goal in the Premier League this season, netting for the first time since 2nd November 2024 against West Ham United.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:42Yellow Card Benjamin Thomas Mee
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:42Goal Temitayo Olufisayo Olaoluwa Aina
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:39Williams is fouled just inside Brentford's half and the wing-back looks in some discomfort. He's down at the moment, but he's helped to his feet by Murillo and it seems he'll be okay.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:38SO CLOSE TO AN OPENER!! It's Forest who put together a really good attack this time as Hudson-Odoi rides a few challenges before sending the ball out wide to the left. Anderson puts the ball into the box with Wood the obvious target and the striker gets his head to it well, but the effort is hit straight at Flekken, who manages a brilliant reflex save to parry it out.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:35It's been a good start from Brentford, but you get the sense the fans are just growing a bit impatient as we get closer to half-time.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:33Hudson-Odoi tries to unleash Elanga down the left hand side after the winger tried his best to bend his run and avoid straying offside, and he does, but the flag is up. Elanga was off by just a few yards.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:30The hosts have dominated the ball in the opening 25 minutes, with nearly 60% possession so far.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:28Yellow Card Murillo Santiago Costa dos Santos
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:27An animated Nuno shouts some more instructions from the touchline. This is perhaps not the start he was envisioning for his side.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:26ANOTHER CHANCE FOR BRENTFORD! The ball is played in from the left this time, by Schade, but Morato is there to block the pass. He tries a clearance but can only manage to hit it straight up in the air. Wissa is there to steal it off him as he tries to recover the second time around and the forward does really well to get any kind of shot from the bouncing 50/50. But there was too much air on it and his shot loops over the bar and into the top netting. The Bees look so close to taking the lead at the moment!
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:22The corner doesn't yield much, but Gibbs-White gets it back and tries to feed Wood with an interior pass. The striker receives and turns but hits his shot straight at Flekken. It's a tame effort by his standards, but Forest are finding their feet now after a rather slow start.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:20The visitors push up immediately and the ball is fed to Elanga, whose deflected cross gives Forest their second corner of the afternoon.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:19Mbeumo again tries that clipped ball swinging into the box with his left foot. It looks like that pass might cause Forest some trouble tonight, but they do well to keep the danger out this time.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:18Forest mount an attack of their own now, their first of the night. Williams tries to play the ball into Wood from wide on the left, but the Bees' defence is solid and pushes it out for a corner.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:16The Bees push forward once again and it's Mbeumo who is leading the charge with another clever pass into Wissa, but Forest clear their lines well.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:13Nuno doesn't look too pleased with what he's seen in the opening few minutes here. The hosts have looked more controlled with the ball and seem to be creating better chances. There's plenty of time left though.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:13The Bees create another good chance! They win a corner and the delivery is overhit, so it's deflected out to Mbeumo yet again on the right flank. He cuts onto his left foot and sends in an inswinging cross from deep that Ajer meets well with a big jump, but the header is glanced just off target.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:08BUT WHAT A CHANCE THAT IS FOR BRENTFORD!! It's a brilliant bit of passing that sees Mbeumo sent running into space down the right wing. He cuts the ball back across the box and it meets Damsgard darted run perfectly. The midfielder takes the shot on from the center of the box, but it's hit straight at Sels. That was a great chance for the hosts.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:06It's a tepid start as both teams just try to get a feel of the ball in the opening few minutes. Forest are having more of it at the moment.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:03And the visitors get us under-way here in West London!
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:01The teams are making their way out onto the pitch now and kick-off is just a few minutes away!
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
15:01Nuno makes two changes to the side that beat out Aston Villa last weekend as Forest revert back to their three-man defence. Morato comes into the team in the heart of the back-three with Yates dropping to the bench, while Elanga, who scored a stoppage-time winner against Aston Villa, is rewarded with a start in place of Dominguez.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
14:56Frank makes four changes to the side that lost out to Chelsea last weekend, with Ajer and Mee coming in for Van de Berg and Pinnock in defence. Janlet replaces Yarmolyuk in midfield, while Schade starts on the wings instead of Roerslev. Joint fourth-highest scorer in the league Mbeumo leads the line for the Bees tonight.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
14:51FOREST SUBS: Taiwo Awoniyi, Harry Toffolo, Nicolás Domínguez, James Ward-Prowse, Álex Moreno, Jota Silva, Ryan Yates, Willy-Arnaud Boly, Carlos Miguel
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
14:51BRENTFORD SUBS: Hakon Valdimarsson, Fabio Carvalho, Yehor Yarmoliuk, Jayden Meghoma, Yunus Konak, Mads Roerslev, Paris Maghoma, Kim Ji-Soo, Tony Yogan
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
14:51NOTTINGHAM FOREST XI (3-4-2-1): Matz Sels; Morato, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo; Neco Williams, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Ola Aina; Callum Hudson-Odoi, Anthony Elanga; Chris Wood
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
14:45BRENTFORD XI (4-3-3): Mark Flekken; Keane Lewis-Potter, Ben Mee, Nathan Collins, Kristoffer Ajer; Mikkel Damsgaard, Christian Norgaard, Vitaly Janelt; Kevin Schade, Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
14:30The Bees play host to Nottingham Forest who remarkably find themselves high up in the Premier League table. The visitors are currently fourth on the table on 28 points through their 16 matches. Their last league outing saw them come back late from a goal down to triumph 2-1 over Aston Villa at home. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are also high in confidence coming off an incredible win against Manchester United earlier in the month. However, Forest have struggled against Brentford lately, failing to win in all their meetings since January 2020, and Nuno will be looking to break that pattern tonight. Forest have been led by Chris Wood this season, who has scored on 10 occasions, including seven match-opening goals. He is tied with Mbeumo for fourth among the league’s top scorers. The Tricky Trees have earned only 14 points from a possible 24 on the road in the Premier League, but they come into today’s match in good form. This sets up a cracker of a game for us, so stay tuned for all the action and team news from West London.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
14:30Tonight’s hosts Brentford have had a solid start to the season as they currently sit 11th, on 23 points through their 16 matches. Thomas Frank’s side are enjoying a good run on home soil this season, remaining unbeaten in all eight contests so far with seven wins and one draw. He will want to keep it going against an impressively high-flying Forest side, especially after the Bees were handed a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their last Premier League outing. Bryan Mbeumo netted for Brentford in that match and has been immense for the Bees this season with 10 goals, which is tied for the fourth highest in the league with five of them being opening goals. Brentford have had the better of Forest in recent times, remaining unbeaten in their last six Premier League matches dating back to January 2020. When they last met in the Premier League, the Bees got through a nervy 3-2 win at Gtech Community Stadium and Frank will be hoping for a similar result tonight, though it looks like it will be anything but easy.
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
14:30Hello and welcome to our live match coverage of this afternoon’s Premier League clash between Brentford and Nottingham Forest at Gtech Community Stadium!
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
13:00Follow all the goals and latest action from the Premier League here with The Independent. Team news and line-ups coming up shortly…
