Wood strikes twice as Forest dominate Brentford

Nottingham Forest overran Brentford to begin their Premier League campaign with a comfortable win as Keith Andrews' reign as Bees boss got off to an inauspicious start.

The hosts broke the deadlock in the fifth minute, with Chris Wood - who scored 20 league goals last season - jabbing home after pressure at a corner.

Forest dominated the first half, and got their second goal three minutes before half-time when Swiss debutant Dan Ndoye headed home Morgan Gibbs-White's superb chipped ball.

It was 3-0 in added time of the opening period when Elliot Anderson pounced on a loose Sepp van den Berg pass and threaded a delightful through-ball for Wood, who rounded Caoimhin Kelleher to slot home.

Brentford struggled, but claimed a 78th-minute consolation from the penalty spot after Ibrahim Sangare handled in the box. Brazilian striker Igor Thiago rolled home his first goal for the club since his arrival last summer from Club Brugge.

This victory was Forest's first in an opening game of a season since the 2017-18 campaign as Andrews tasted defeat in his first game after replacing Thomas Frank in charge.

Nottingham Forest analysis: Gibbs-White runs show

After the politics comes the football. It has been a fascinating summer off the pitch for Forest, whose place in the Europa League was confirmed due to Crystal Palace being punished for breaching multi-club ownership rules.

There has also been intrigue in the transfer market, with Forest taking their time to add names for their European adventure.

The signings of Ipswich Town winger Omari Hutchinson and Manchester City midfielder James McAtee were confirmed on Saturday night - but too late to be involved against Brentford as they were introduced to fans on the pitch before the match.

So winger Ndoye, signed from Bologna for £36m as a direct replacement for the departed Anthony Elanga, was Forest's only new signing to start.

While he enjoyed a debut goal, perhaps the club's best bit of summer business was tying Gibbs-White down to a new three-year contract after interest from Tottenham and Manchester City.

He captained Forest on Sunday and showed why the club were so keen to keep him as the England midfielder ran the show.

Gibbs-White, along with Anderson, controlled the midfield and sprung attack after attack with Brentford never allowed to settle.

It was little surprise to see the ex-Wolves man produce the best moment of individual quality in the 41st minute too - an expertly lofted and curling ball that Ndoye rose high to meet and head past Kelleher.

Gibbs-White also went close to a goal himself with a spectacular overhead effort.

Crucially for Forest, this game showed they possess an attacking threat - something they lacked in pre-season, with just one goal across their seven friendlies.

After pushing for a Champions League place last season before finishing a point short in seventh place, Forest have again shown their quality and intent.

Brentford analysis: Andrews faces testing times in rebuild

It has been a summer of change for Brentford, most notably in Frank and assistant Justin Cochrane being poached by London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Andrews was promoted to the top job, but has had to deal with the loss of key players Bryan Mbeumo, Christian Norgaard and Mark Flekken - all sold in this transfer window.

Forward Yoane Wissa could soon be on his way too, with the Newcastle target left out of the Bees squad for the City Ground trip.

Andrews' first starting XI included debuts for keeper Kelleher, £17m Dutch attacking midfielder Antoni Milambo and right-back Michael Kayode, while Jordan Henderson made his Premier League return as a second-half substitute.

Former Republic of Ireland international Andrews has had to rebuild as he tries to maintain Brentford's impressive record of never having been in the relegation zone across the last four seasons.

That is a record they still maintain for now, but they are only out of the bottom three on goal difference.

All of Andrews' best-laid plans went out the window after the first meaningful attack of the match.

First, the corner was needless - captain Nathan Collins stepped in front of Kelleher and turned the ball behind, when the keeper was about to collect the ball under no pressure.

Boss Andrews, the club's former set-piece coach, could then only look on in dismay as three blue-shirted players around Wood got in each others' way from the corner, allowing the New Zealander to turn home a loose ball for the opening goal.

Brentford had little in response after that.

What's next for these teams?

Forest visit Crystal Palace on Sunday, 24 August - in what could be a fiery encounter following the drama over who played in which European competition - before hosting West Ham on Saturday, 31 August.

Brentford host Aston Villa on Saturday, 23 August, before travelling to Bournemouth in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, 26 August.