Nicolas Dominguez scored his first goal for 10-man Nottingham Forest as the hosts held on for a 1-1 draw against Brentford on Sunday in the Premier League.
Things looked bleak for Forest when it went down to 10 men just before the hour at the City Ground with Moussa Niakhate picking up a second yellow card, and the immediately conceding to Christian Norgaard from the resulting free kick.
But Forest rallied and Argentina international Dominguez leveled seven minutes later in the 65th with a looping header that Bees goalkeeper Mark Flekken appeared to misjudge.
Forest was able to see out the remaining 35 minutes with relative comfort to maintain its unbeaten start to the season at home.
The draw means Brentford has now gone five games without a win as its tricky start to the campaign continues.
Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper criticized Niakhate’s second yellow card after the defender raked his studs down Yoane Wissa’s calf.
“With it being the only Premier League game of the day, the (referees’ governing body) PGMOL needed a real clean day and unfortunately they have got the opposite,” Cooper said. “I’m annoyed with the first yellow, he (Niakhate) shouldn’t have lunged in. The second yellow … of course it was accidental. You need football understanding to see that. It’s a contact game.”
Brentford manager Thomas Frank said he thought his side was denied a clear penalty when Wissa was fouled by Matt Turner early in the second half when he closed down the Forest goalkeeper and was caught by Turner’s follow through.
Referee Paul Tierney did not give anything and the incident was not checked by VAR Michael Oliver.
Forest is in 11th place, one point and two spots above Brentford.
