Knockaert could be key for Forest survival despite red card against Brentford

Anthony Knockaert had an eventful afternoon against Brentford on Saturday despite only coming onto the pitch at half time.

The Fulham loanee will have been disappointed to have started on the bench, having scored Forest’s first goal in six games on Wednesday night, and he was heavily involved after coming off the bench.

In the first half Brentford were dominant. The opening 30 minutes of the game could have seen the game killed off with the chances the visitors created, Mbeumo had a powerful effort well saved, Toney on another day would have scored a hat-trick, but the Bees did lead at this stage as captain Henrik Dalsgaard headed in from a corner 15 minutes into the game.

Thomas Frank’s side were composed, dangerous and never really looked threatened by Nottingham Forest in the first half hour. Composed is not a word that could be used to describe Chris Hughton’s side in this period.

The East Midlands side got into dangerous areas on plenty of occasions, but their play was sloppy. Misplaced passes, slips, and simply not being on the same wavelength of teammates at times meant when Forest did get forwards, they failed to create anything and were often hit on the counter.

The hosts did improve in the final 10 minutes of the half, with Sammy Ameobi, Joe Lolley and Lyle Taylor all producing shots that came close to an equaliser.

At half time Hughton made a double substitution with Knockaert and Miguel Guerrero coming on for Harry Arter and Lolley. Forest continued where they left off before the break, but with former Brighton man Knockaert now involved in almost every attack.

Forest’s play was still sloppy at times but on the hour that almost worked in their favour. A slip on the edge of the box saw the ball find Knockaert, who curled an effort past Raya and thought he had equalised before a very late offside flag denied Forest.

The Frenchman came close again with 15 minutes to play with an effort from the edge of the box which was tipped over by goalkeeper David Raya.

Despite Forest looking dangerous in the second half it was very much end to end, and it was the away side who eventually got the game’s second goal. Josh Dasilva cutting inside before firing home to double his side’s lead.

Five minutes later Brentford added a third when a long ball forward was stabbed home on the slide by Toney. It was an excellent finish from the former Peterborough United man who is repaying the faith shown in him by the club with his transfer fee.

There were 88 minutes on the clock when Toney scored his goal, but with five minutes added on there was still time, albeit not much, for something to change.

Forest pulled a goal back from a freekick two minutes into added time when Knockaert found captain Joe Worrall who headed a goal back.

The former Brighton man was involved again moments later surging into the box before going down. There was to be no penalty though, instead the 29-year-old was shown a second yellow card to complete what was a frustrating afternoon for Chris Hughton’s side.

Nottingham Forest remain outside the relegation zone but now are only above it on goal difference after Derby County picked up a point against Stoke City.

While replays have shown that both the offside for the goal and the yellow card instead of a penalty were both the correct decisions, on another day they could have gone the other way. The game could have finished 3-3 rather than 1-3 and Knockaert would have been involved in all three goals.

The winger, who at Leicester and Brighton has built up a reputation of being one of the best wingers at this level, has started eight of 12 matches since his debut as a substitute against Derby, but his last two appearances have both come from the bench.

Before his goal at Norwich, Knockaert had not scored or assisted in a Forest shirt this season but in his last two games he now has a goal and an assist to his name.

The red card means that he will not be able to add to his productive spell on Tuesday night against Sheffield Wednesday, and with it being two yellow cards there is no chance of an appeal for Nottingham Forest.

In truth though, Knockaert would have been unlikely to win any appeal. The Frenchman could have been sent off even before the dive with a challenge that went unpunished on the far side that Brentford manager Frank thought could have been a red card in its own right.

Getting the best out of Anthony Knockaert could be crucial for Nottingham Forest if they are to stay up this season. But if his performance against Brentford is anything to go by then his temperament could be a problem. A 3-1 defeat against Brentford was a harsh scoreline that does not reflect their efforts or the balance of the game overall, despite a poor opening half hour.

But this has been a common theme in recent weeks. Individual errors, sloppiness, and poor finishing have cost Forest. These games have almost all come against the top sides in the league, and with a slightly easier run coming up they might stop being punished for it.

Whether Nottingham Forest can start turning decent performances into points remains to be seen. Forest got into a lot of dangerous areas against Brentford but were largely wasteful when in these areas and did not create as many clear-cut chances as they should have.

There are issues that need to be ironed out at both ends of the pitch by Hughton and his players, but there have been promising signs suggesting they’re not far from turning a corner.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt