Ivan Toney had not only been dreaming of this day for the past eight months, he had even predicted it. Yet while his comeback from a ban for breaching betting rules ended with a goal, the only surprise being that it was not the winner.
That honour was reserved for Toney’s strike partner Neal Maupay, who performed a special celebration with the England striker after a topsy-turvy second half in which Ben Mee’s header had been cancelled out by Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood.
Toney had earlier scored, his 33rd Premier League goal in 67 appearances, following Danilo’s opener as Brentford ended a run of five successive defeats – underlining how important the striker is to their chances of survival. Thomas Frank’s side move up to 14th and above their opponents in the table to end a difficult week for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side after they were charged with breaching the Premier League’s financial rules.
They struggled to contain Toney throughout as he showed no signs of rustiness despite not having played a competitive match for 259 days since a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in May. The 28-year-old was given a standing ovation as Brentford’s players performed a lap of honour at the end. Yet after a billboard declaring “He’s back” was erected earlier this week on the A4, there was always a chance Forest could upset the party given their recent revival under Nuno that had seen them win their past two league matches.
Brentford’s leaky defence this season has been a major factor in their slide down the table and Vitaly Janelt’s panicked clearance in the third minute handed the visitors an opportunity that could have easily been avoided. It still took an astonishing piece of skill from Danilo to control the ball on his thigh and dispatch a volley past Mark Flekken. “Ivan Toney, you should have cashed out,” sang the Forest fans in mocking delight.
It did not take long for Toney to respond. When Mikkel Damsgaard was brought down clumsily by Orel Mangala on the edge of the box, he immediately grabbed the ball. Forest’s wall seemed to make his task much easier by not covering the whole of Matt Turner’s goal after Toney twice moved the ball from its original position but the accuracy of his low, curled free-kick meant it was always going in despite Nuno’s protests on the touchline. As the home crowd erupted in joy, Toney sprinted down the touchline to celebrate with Frank before being passed a shirt bearing the message “Thank you Uncle Brian”.
Toney’s perseverance almost helped Brentford take the lead soon after when his cutback from the byline teed up Keane Lewis-Potter for an effort from close range that crashed into the crossbar, with Forest goalkeeper Turner relieved to grab the ball at the second attempt after it hit his back leg from the rebound.
Brentford picked up where they left off at the start of the second half when a pinpoint cross from Toney found Lewis-Potter at the back post but he could only direct his effort straight at Turner. The England striker was at the heart of Brentford’s attacks and created the space that ended with Lewis-Potter spurning another good chance. There was no stopping Mee’s thumping header from Jensen’s corner moments later as the defender left his marker Gonzalo Montiel for dead before producing a finish Toney would have been proud of.
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Maupay could have given the hosts breathing space when he was played in by Toney but Montiel made a crucial intervention. When Wood headed home Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross to equalise – his sixth goal in his past six matches – a draw seemed to have been secured but it took Brentford less than two minutes to regain the lead when Maupay swept home a cross from Mads Roerslev after more excellent play from Toney. Forest’s players were adamant the ball had struck his arm but the VAR was satisfied the ball brushed his chest.
Mangala came closest to rescuing a point for Forest when he dragged a shot just wide but there was no stopping Toney on his grand return.
