Nottingham Forest 3-1 Brentford: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Chris Wood catches Mohamed Salah with brace in opener

Brentford made a nightmare start to the 2025-26 Premier League campaign under new manager Keith Andrews, as they were beaten 3-1 by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday.

Striker Chris Wood enjoyed the best season of his career last term, and he wasted no time getting off the mark with just five minutes on the clock this time around, finishing intelligently following a scramble from a corner.

After some brilliant dribbling from Morgan Gibbs-White, new signing Dan Ndoye then added a second on his league debut towards the end of the first half with a fantastic diving header.

However, Wood was not done yet, and he compounded the Bees' misery by putting the Garibaldis three goals to the good before the interval, taking advantage of a misplaced pass from former Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg and rounding ex-Reds goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

Brentford pulled one back through an Igor Thiago penalty with a little over 10 minutes remaining, but it was too little too late for the visitors as Forest claimed all three points on the division's first matchweek.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

Many had questioned whether Wood's 20-goal Premier League season last term was a one-off, and with the pressure on for him to continue his scoring form, he silenced doubters on the opening weekend with a brace.

Elsewhere, Forest lost key forward Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United and brought in Ndoye as a replacement, and the manager will be pleased that his new man was able to get off the mark straight away.

The Garibaldis held on to talisman Gibbs-White amidst interest from Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, and the same way that he was vital to this victory, he is sure to be the centrepiece of their European campaign.

As for Brentford, they have undergone significant change in recent months, as club-legend boss Thomas Frank joined Spurs, Bryan Mbeumo signed for Manchester United, and Yoane Wissa trained alone as he looks to depart for Newcastle United.

New head coach Andrews was an internal appointment, and while his ability at the highest level remains to be seen, he made a troubling start on Sunday.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS. BRENTFORD HIGHLIGHTS

5th min: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Brentford (Chris Wood)

Wood wastes no time opening his 2025-26 scoring account, and with the ball bouncing around following a Forest corner, he pokes it through a crowd of players to put his side in front!

42nd min: Nottingham Forest 2-0 Brentford (Dan Ndoye)

Callum Hudson-Odoi and Elliot Anderson combine with some slick passing exchanges on the left-hand side of the Brentford box, and when the ball reaches Gibbs-White, he spins away from a defender and clips a left-footed cross to Ndoye, who heads cleanly into the top-left corner.

45+2 mins: Nottingham Forest 3-0 Brentford (Chris Wood)

Brentford shift it around at the back but Sepp van den Berg gives the ball away under pressure with a sloppy pass into midfield, where Anderson picks out a fantastic first-time pass to put striker, Wood, one-on-one with Kelleher, and he rounds the goalkeeper before firing into an empty net.

78th min: Nottingham Forest 3-1 Brentford (Igor Thiago)

Fabio Carvalho plays a corner in and the ball bounces off of Van den Berg before striking Forest's Ibrahim Sangare on the arm.

Igor Thiago steps up and makes no mistake from 12 yards, slotting his first Premier League goal for Brentford straight down the middle as goalkeeper Matz Sels dives to his right.

MAN OF THE MATCH - CHRIS WOOD
© Imago

The Forest striker took only five minutes to announce that he was back with a bang in the Premier League, setting the tone for a strong afternoon for his side with the opener.

Wood also showed excellent timing and positioning to stay onside before rounding the goalkeeper with composure to score his second and secure the points.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS. BRENTFORD MATCH STATS

Possession: Nottingham Forest 55%-45% Brentford

Shots: Nottingham Forest 11-10 Brentford

Shots on target: Nottingham Forest 5-3 Brentford

Corners: Nottingham Forest 5-5 Brentford

Fouls: Nottingham Forest 7-15 Brentford

BEST STATS

Only two players have scored 30 non-penalty goals in the Premier League since Nuno Espirito Santo's first game in charge of Nottingham Forest on the 23rd December 2023.

Chris Wood ?Mohamed Salah pic.twitter.com/6yUQoqUFCR
— Squawka (@Squawka) August 17, 2025

27 - Morgan Gibbs-White is now Nottingham Forest's joint-top assist maker in the Premier League, equalling Ian Woan's total of 27. Catalyst. pic.twitter.com/ve9cQNaayv
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 17, 2025

WHAT NEXT?

Up next for Forest is a trip to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace next Sunday, while Brentford will host Aston Villa for their first Premier League home game of the season on Saturday.