After occupying a top-five place in the Premier League table every week since matchweek 15 back on Dec. 7, Nottingham Forest no longer control their own UEFA Champions League destiny after losing 2-0 to Brentford at the City Ground on Thursday and slipping to 6th with four games left to play.
WATCH — Nottingham Forest v Brentford full match replay
Forest (60 points), who have lost three of their last four PL games, trail Chelsea by seven goals in the goal difference column (+19 to +12). Brentford (49 points), meanwhile, remain 11th in the table but are just one point behind Bournemouth in 10th and two back of Brighton in 9th. A top-half finish is within reach.
Brentford opened the scoring right before halftime, and they did it with something straight out of Forest’s favorite playbook as they went from back to front with one pass over the top. Nathan Collins picked out Kevin Schade, who split the right side of Forest’s defense, beat Ola Aina to the ball and stuck it just inside the far post.
The Bees went back to that same playbook for goal no. 2 in the 71st minute, as goalkeeper Mark Flekken booted a goal kick 70 yards upfield and found Yoane Wissa at full speed with defender Nikola Milenkovic wandering in no man’s land and only Matz Sels left to beat. Wissa dinked it over the out-rushing keeper and peeled off toward the away fans behind the goal to celebrate his 17th league goal of the season.
Player ratings - Nottingham Forest vs Brentford
What’s next?
- Brentford vs Manchester United — Sunday, 9 am ET
- Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest — Monday, 3 pm ET
Nottingham Forest vs Brentford live updates - by Andy Edwards
Nottingham Forest vs Brentford final score: 0-2
Goalscorers: Kevin Schade (44'), Yoane Wissa (71')
GOAL! Forest 0-2 Brentford: Wissa races in behind and dinks it over Sels (71')
GOAL! Forest 0-1 Brentford: Schade gets in behind and scores just before halftime (44')
Kevin Schade slips through the Nottingham Forest defense and slots home to give Brentford a halftime lead at the City Ground. 👀
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 1, 2025
📺 USA Network | #NFOBRE pic.twitter.com/axBCDU7IO2
Nottingham Forest starting lineup
Sels - Milenkovic, Murillo, Aina - Williams, Gibbs-White, Anderson, Yates - Elanga, Hudson-Odoi, Wood
Brentford starting lineup
Flekken - Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter - Norgaard, Yarmolyuk, Damsgaard - Mbeumo, Schade, Wissa
How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Brentford live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 2:30pm ET Thursday (May 1)
Venue: City Ground — Nottingham
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch live on NBC.com
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have kept up with Manchester City, Newcastle, Chelsea and Co. in the hunt for the final three Champions League spots. They won 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur last time out in the Premier League but did lose 2-0 in the FA Cup semifinal to Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday. It will be intriguing to see how they bounce back from that and they now have five games to achieve something truly incredible as they chase Champions League qualification.
Brentford are chasing European qualification as they’re locked in a scrap for eighth place with Bournemouth, Fulham and Brighton. The Bees beat Brighton 4-2 last time out as the incredible attacking duo of Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo continue to deliver. Eighth place isn’t guaranteed Europe but it could well be and a win in this game in-hand would put them right in the mix.
Nottingham Forest team news, focus
Forest had plenty of issues at full back for their recent semifinal against Man City with both Ola Aina (injury) and Neco Williams (suspension) missing out but Williams will be back for this one. Chris Wood has been battling back from injury and may need to be nursed through the final weeks of the season, while Anthony Elanga looked really good off the bench on Sunday and will surely start this game. Expect captain Ryan Yates to come straight back into the team too as the midfielder was suspended for the semifinal.
QUESTIONABLE: Eric da Silva Moreira (ankle), Ola Aina (calf), Zach Abbott (fitness)
Brentford team news, focus
The Bees have dealt with injuries all season long but they finally have plenty of key players back and their recent return to form proves that. Mbeumo and Wissa are such a handful in attack, while their experienced core in midfield and defense is so crucial to how savvy they are as they can hang in games and then pounce.
OUT: Fabio Carvalho (shoulder), Igor Thiago (knee), Josh Dasilva (knee), Aaron Hickey (thigh), Vitaly Janelt (foot)
Nottingham Forest vs Brentford prediction
This feels like it has a draw written all over it. Expect a game dominated by counter-attacks and set pieces, and it should be fun. Nottingham Forest 2-2 Brentford.
