A decisive Igor Thiago strike sealed a hard-fought 2-0 victory against Nottingham Forest in Brentford's 100th Premier League game at Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.
Already a goal to the good after Forest defender Nikola Milenković turned the ball into his own net in the first half, the Brazilian fired home off the underside of the crossbar from substitute Jaidon Anthony's cross to secure a valuable win that kept the Bees sixth in the Premier League table.
Following his prolific 2025/26 campaign, Thiago now has four goals across all competitions for Brentford this season, and the way the 25-year-old striker held his run in anticipation of Anthony's inch-perfect delivery spoke to a goalscorer who knows exactly how and where to find a yard of space in the box.
Thiago now has an impressive 33 goal involvements (29 goals and four assists) in 60 games for the Bees, and he has either scored or assisted in each of his past four appearances.
The former Club Brugge forward led the line admirably against Forest, with no Brentford player winning more aerial duels (3) or drawing more free-kicks (5). His importance in his own box was underlined by a goal-line clearance from a Forest corner shortly before he scored.
Thiago's vital clearance at one end will be overshadowed by his decisive contribution at the other, but Brentford's victory over Forest was built on precisely such moments.
Afterwards, Keith Andrews stated that he was "very proud" of a performance that showcased Brentford's "different ways of playing" and their ability to do the basics well.
Reaction: Keith Andrews post-Nottingham Forest
Goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher was central to that collective effort, marshalling his defence superbly as the Bees produced a dogged display to record their third Premier League clean sheet of the season.
Blocks and clearances may not be the most glamorous statistics, but they paint a revealing picture of the determination with which Brentford defended their goal.
Kristoffer Ajer finished the day ranked third in the Premier League for clearances after making nine more against the Tricky Trees, but the imposing Norwegian was ably supported by his team-mates, with Brentford recording 35 clearances in total.
A further six blocked shots and nine blocked crosses underlined the Bees' refusal to give Forest a clear sight of goal, while the game's shooting statistics told an equally revealing story.
"Blocks and clearances may not be the most glamorous statistics, but they paint a revealing picture of the determination with which Brentford defended their goal"
The two sides mustered 23 attempts between them on Saturday, with the visitors responsible for the majority.
Forest had 15 shots, but the west Londoners restricted them to just one effort on target – a trundling attempt from more than 25 yards out by James McAtee. Eight of the visitors' efforts missed the target altogether, while the other six were blocked by a player in red and white.
Brentford's Halloween win featured a goal from their number nine, a clean sheet and plenty of hard work in between – a scarily effective formula.