The two in-form teams in the EFL Championship met last night as Brentford hosted Nottingham Forest at Griffin Park. Out of the two, Brentford seemed to have the most momentum, not having lost at home since November, while Forest had recently thrown away a lead to in-form Reading just last week.
Both teams, sitting in 5th and 4th place respectively, were both pushing for automatic promotion, and a win would push whoever took the points even closer to the seemingly unstoppable duo of Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion.
But as the game kicked off, Brentford’s home dominance of late seemed to count for nothing as Forest were the ones who came out of the blocks the fastest. Manager Sabri Lamouchi is known as a tinkerer, constantly playing with line-ups and tactics to decide what’s best for the time, and he got the team’s first-half tactics spot on this time, playing a high press to disrupt Brentford’s fast-paced, attacking style of play.
And as soon as they got the ball, they’d play the ball long, up the field to a combination of star player Joe Lolley, towering winger Sammy Ameobi, and veteran striker Lewis Grabban, who’d hold the ball up for an array of technically gifted midfielders and full backs.
And it was one of these players that got the opening goal. The ball was headed out from a corner, and Lolley’s resulting strike from the edge of the box took a massive slice of luck as it was deflected, looping over Brentford ‘keeper David Raya and into the back of the net.
After conceding, Brentford looked strong, and stayed true to the technical style of the play that got them so far this season, with wingers Bryan Mbuemo and Said Benhrama particularly impressive as they tried to push the team forward.
But it seemed every time they went forward, Forest had an answer for it, playing a defensive, combative style of play that Brentford fans would go on to describe as anti-football. For every incisive dribble, there was a thumping tackle, for every clever pass, a powerful clearance.
Forest sprinted over the finish line, heads held high, clutching their 1-0 victory tightly, defining themselves as the team to beat in the Championship this season. Their defensive style of play may not have been pretty, but it was ultimately effective. But I wouldn’t count Brentford out yet either.
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