Even in the ultra-cynical world of football in 2026, there is still room for fairytales.
Towards the end of last season, Taiwo Awoniyi sustained an injury so serious that it threatened at least to curtail his career. After colliding with a post in Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw with Leicester last May, Awoniyi spent time in hospital with a ruptured intestine. We all remember the footage as former Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo had a heated discussion with owner Evangelos Marinakis on the pitch shortly after the game.
Awoniyi recovered but that seemed it for his Forest career. They were keen to sell the Nigerian and at one point he was fourth-choice striker. But Awoniyi stayed and here at Brentford he showed what he could do.
With Brentford pushing for an equaliser after Igor Jesus had given Forest a first-half lead, Morgan Gibbs-White controlled a clearance brilliantly and set Awoniyi, who had replaced Jesus a little earlier, racing clear. He held off Sepp van den Berg and produced exactly the finish the occasion needed.
Had Lorenzo Lucca been registered in time after joining on loan from Napoli, Awoniyi would probably not have featured here. But in a relegation battle with so many chapters still be written, Awoniyi’s contribution may yet prove decisive.
Daily Mail Sport's TOM COLLOMOSSE was at the Gtech Community Stadium to run the rule over the events.
Forest must deliver in the market to keep their heads above water this season
Nottingham Forest will have to be at least as effective off the pitch as they are on it.
Sean Dyche’s arrival in the dugout has laid bare the chaotic recruitment campaign of last summer. Forest outspent Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain but in west London on Sunday afternoon, we saw just how little they have to show for it.
Of the summer signings, Igor Jesus was the only player who made the starting XI – and the Brazilian would probably not have started either had Chris Wood been fit. More than £200million spent for only one starter.
As Dyche has largely written off Forest’s back-up players, Forest’s work between now and February 1 is crucial. They cannot expect this XI, plus one or two others, to carry them through the remainder of the season, particularly as they will surely also play in the Europa League knockout rounds.
Lorenzo Lucca missed the registration deadline and could not play here but the on-loan Napoli striker will be expected to ease the load on Jesus. A back-up left-back is needed and so, too, another midfield option. Douglas Luiz was not even in the squad here and Forest would like to cut short his loan period. If the Brazilian makes 15 appearances of at least 45 minutes, Forest would have to sign him for about £23million – which they absolutely do not want to do.
At one point in the second half, Forest midfielder Nicolas Dominguez looked ready for a lie-down. He is not the only one. With Dyche so reluctant to trust his bench, Forest simply must strengthen.
Bees victims of their own success
If you needed proof of Brentford’s startling progress since Matthew Benham took control of the club, you had only to watch this match.
Even as they were establishing themselves in the Premier League under Thomas Frank, it was rare indeed for teams to come to the Gtech Community Stadium and ask Brentford to make the running. The Bees thrived on allowing the opposition to have the ball and then making the most of the marginal gains.
Yet Brentford’s superb home record, coupled with Dyche’s natural caution, meant they had the lion’s share of the ball here – 65.9 per cent to be precise. Thiago was marshalled very well by Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo and Forest generally sat deep, meaning Brentford could not exploit the speed of Kevin Schade or first-half substitute Dango Ouattara as much as they would have liked.
You can see Brentford are trying to develop tactically under Keith Andrews and some of the things they did here were interesting, like pushing their full-backs high and rotating the three forwards behind Thiago. There is every chance they can qualify for Europe this season and if they do, they had better get used to more nights like these.
What will become of Igor Jesus?
There has been one criticism of Igor Jesus from Nottingham Forest supporters since he joined the club last summer and it concerns his impact in front of goal.
The Brazilian is a fascinating player. Strong in the air, able to tussle with defenders and intelligent in his link-play, he has many of the characteristics you would want in a centre-forward. For large parts of this encounter, he looked more accomplished than the other Igor – Brentford No9 Igor Thiago.
But here is the key difference. Only Erling Haaland has more league goals this season than Thiago’s 16. In the same competition, Jesus has scored just twice.
Now it is not easy to score regularly in a struggling team, especially one managed by Dyche, who prioritises clean sheets above all else. The challenge for Jesus, though, is to develop his movement so he can have more chances and the signs are promising. Even before his brilliantly-taken goal, Jesus found space cleverly inside the box and would have converted Morgan Gibbs-White’s cut-back, only for Kristoffer Ajer to make a fine block.