After a defeat snatched from the jaws of victory, Nottingham Forest need to ensure their survival hopes do not go the same way.
In the space of barely 10 minutes at Brentford, they went from being on course for just a second away win of the season and taking a significant step towards safety to being toppled on the road again and heading for a return to the relegation zone. They can get out of trouble again, but time is running out and it will almost certainly require a change in fortunes away from home, as well as beating Southampton at the City Ground on Monday week.
What happened in the capital shows how quickly the tide can turn. From the joy and relief of victory on Wednesday night to the kick in the gut which accompanied full-time on Saturday. From limbs in the away end after Danilo’s goal to players dropping to their haunches at the final whistle.
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The difference between claiming three points, or even one, and heading back north empty-handed save for a sickening feeling in the pit of the stomach was huge. It was the difference between moving four points clear of the bottom three to being certain of dropping in there whatever the outcome of Monday’s game between Leicester City and Everton.
Having worked so hard to haul themselves above the dotted line by beating Brighton and Hove Albion, the Reds must make sure they don’t live to regret throwing it away against the Bees. For once again, they were masters of their own downfall.
The first 80 minutes…
For the vast majority of the afternoon, Forest had a handle on Brentford. They limited them to minimum chances and defended well. They looked comfortable and confident. It was so close to being an almost perfect away performance, having poached a goal just before half-time.
What would have elevated it is if they had killed the game off. Hitting their opponents on the counter, they created some positive moments. But head coach Steve Cooper rued his team’s decision making as they failed to make the most of them. Morgan Gibbs-White tried his luck and Moussa Niakhate had a go with an acrobatic effort, but David Raya wasn’t tested too often in the Bees' goal.
Given the Reds have struggled to keep clean-sheets, that meant there was always the possibility of a nervy finale. “Use your head,” Cooper yelled from the touchline as the last 10 minutes approached. The end result suggests the message fell on deaf ears.
Self-inflicted wounds
Individual errors have been a theme of recent weeks, and they reared their ugly head again at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Keylor Navas would expect to do better with both of the Bees’ goals, given he was beaten at his near post. However, for the equaliser he wasn’t helped by a gaping hole in the wall which gave Ivan Toney a clear route to goal. Cheikhou Kouyate inexplicably broke away from Joe Worrall alongside him and turned his back on the ball as it whistled through the chasm which had been created.
"It's something we will look at more thoroughly when we get back to the training ground,” Cooper said. “Now is not the time to analyse too much because there's not much we can do about it. But you do have to do something about it when you get back to the training ground. You have to look at the bad and the good from the game, then move forward.”
The Welshman also declined to single out Navas for blame. Instead, he was fuming with the VAR call over Josh Dasilva’s winner, with the Reds arguing Yoane Wissa was in an offside position and blocking the view of the goalkeeper. It was certainly a contentious decision and a big one to make at that point in the game.
Substitution misery
Forest’s rotten injury luck continues. Brennan Johnson had to make way after picking up a knock and Danilo had to be supported as he limped off with a suspected hamstring problem.
By the time the Brazilian came off, Toney had already equalised and the visitors had used up all of their substitution windows. It meant they had to see the game out with 10 men, something which certainly didn’t help matters as they tried to hang on.
Cooper explained fatigue played a part on the day, both with his selection decisions for his starting XI and the changes made. Taiwo Awoniyi, for example, was not at his best and made way in the 54th minute. His replacement, Andre Ayew, had little impact save for being booked almost as soon as he came on. Cooper could not have foreseen what happened to Danilo, but he may look back on the management of the substitutions with a little regret.
Still in the fight
The meeting with Southampton at the City Ground was always going to be pivotal. It is a must-win game.
Forest have a long time to stew over what happened at Brentford, but that disappointment needs to be out of their system by the time the Saints match comes around. The manner in which they threw the points away was the real frustration, but they need to take positives from the way they defended for much of the game - while also correcting where they went wrong. Set-pieces were their downfall at Liverpool, and although they managed most of them well on Saturday, work clearly still needs to be done.
Away form has been a massive Achilles’ heel all season. Performances have improved on the road, but not ensuring decisive moments go their way is costing Cooper’s men.
They have two more attempts to try to cure that travel sickness, with a trip to Chelsea and then Crystal Palace on the final day. Beating the Saints is the immediate priority, but something also has to change on the road if the Reds are to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
They have it in them. They are capable of doing it. They have come agonisingly close to points at Anfield and Brentford. What they must do is ensure those missed opportunities do not return to haunt them come the summer.
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