Brentford’s Ivan Toney celebrates scoring their side’s first goal of the game, and holds up a shirt dedicated to his uncle Brian during the Premier League match at the Gtech Community Stadium, London. Picture date: Saturday January 20, 2024.
Ivan Toney marked his return from his eight-month exile with a goal to help Brentford to a thrilling 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.
The striker, banned from football since May for breaching betting rules, was back on the scoresheet for the first time in 267 days.
Named captain for the day, Toney struck with an audacious free-kick to cancel out Danilo’s opener for Forest and thrust himself back into the spotlight for the right reasons.
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Ben Mee headed Brentford in front but Chris Wood equalised before Toney’s strike partner Neal Maupay found the net as Brentford celebrated their talisman’s comeback with a much-needed win after five successive Premier League defeats.
Not that this was ever likely to be a low-key return – there was even a digital billboard over the road from the Gtech Stadium flashing up a picture of Toney and the words ‘he’s back’.
Yet Forest threatened to ruin the party when they went ahead with less than three minutes gone.
Vitaly Janelt made a mess of a clearance, twice, and when Mee attempted to tidy up his header flew straight to Brazilian Danilo, who took a touch with his thigh before volleying past Bees keeper Mark Flekken.
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