Nottingham Forest defeated Brentford 2-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday to become the first visiting team to defeat the Bees this season.
Goals from Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga helped Forest to the success and right now the team are sitting fourth in the Premier League.
Brian Laws hailed Nuno Espirito Santo for his decision to go with three central defenders against a free-scoring Brentford team.
It proved an inspired decision and after the game, Elanga confirmed that Jermain Defoe had been helping him prepare for the game with some text advice.
Once again, Forest had a number of top performers in their team at the weekend and there has been some recognition for two of them from one pundit.
Matz Sels, Nottingham Forest goalkeeper, celebrates victory during the Premier League match between Brentford and Nottingham Forest at the Gtech Co...
Photo by Jon Hobley | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Alan Shearer names two Nottingham Forest players in Team of the Week
The beauty of winning each week is that typically Forest stars get named in a number of Team of the Week compilations that do the rounds.
The main one is done by Alan Shearer on the Premier League’s official website and this week he’s named Matz Sels and Murillo in his team.
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On Sels, Shearer said: “Kept another clean sheet and made a great save in Forest’s superb victory at Brentford.”
It’s been Milenkovic getting the nod for Shearer in recent weeks but this week it was Murillo who got the nod.
Shearer said: “Solid all afternoon as Forest shut out a Brentford team who have scored the most home goals this season.”
Forest defence has been the platform for 2024/25 improvements
It goes without saying that Forest’s rearguard very nearly cost the club its Premier League status last season.
Had Luton managed to pick themselves up for three weeks at the final stage of the season it might well have been them who survived at the expense of Forest.
This season the defence has clearly been worked on and Forest aren’t the basket case they once were defensively.
Murillo has improved alongside Nikola Milenkovic, whilst Sels has improved massively between the posts too.
There is still a long way to go this season but if the rearguard continues to be as rigid as it has been so far during 2024/24, the Reds could be in line for a really strong campaign.
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