Joel Piroe scored a stoppage-time penalty as Leeds boosted their automatic promotion challenge with a 2-1 home win against Preston.

Second-half substitute Piroe converted from the spot in the third minute of added time after Ryan Ledson was adjudged to have handled and Leeds’ last-gasp victory saw them close the gap on the top two back to four points.

Will Keane gave Preston a second-minute lead and although Dan James equalised four minutes later it proved a frustrating afternoon for Leeds against dogged opponents.

Preston were without Duane Holmes, Freddie Woodman and Milutin Osmajic due to illness, but they made a flying start.

Ben Whiteman’s free-kick into the penalty area was headed back across goal by Liam Lindsay and, after Leeds failed to clear, Liam Millar’s mis-cued shot was turned home by Keane.

Preston’s lead was short-lived though. Junior Firpo raced on to Crysencio Summerville’s ball down the left and clipped a brilliant cross to the far post on the overlap for James to head Leeds level.

The visitors appeared undeterred and it needed a flying save from Illan Meslier to keep out a goalbound effort from Millar, Preston’s match-winner when they beat Leeds 2-1 at Deepdale on Boxing Day.

Patrick Bamford headed James’ excellent cross straight at Preston goalkeeper Dai Cornell and Georginio Rutter was off target from Ilia Gruev’s corner, but despite stepping it up before the break the home side were kept at bay.

Summerville’s brilliant run to the by-line and cut back should have resulted in a second goal for Leeds soon after the restart, but Rutter’s effort hit a post.

Bamford fired wide after being played in by Rutter and saw another effort blocked before James’ clever chip narrowly cleared the crossbar as Leeds picked up where they left off.

But Preston were proving dogged opponents and the home fans’ frustration turned to cheers when Cornell was booked by referee David Webb for time wasting in the 82nd minute.

Ledson became the fifth Preston yellow card after his trip on Gruev, which sparked a mass melee in midfield and also resulted in a booking for Bamford.

Rutter and substitute Joel Piroe squandered further chances for Leeds and Preston substitute Robbie Brady’s last-ditch tackle on Bamford was celebrated by the visiting players.

But in added time Ledson’s outstretched arm made contact with the ball in the area following Joe Rodon’s header and Piroe held his nerve to bury his penalty and raise the roof at Elland Road.

Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro is standing by his bullish claim that he will lead the Super Eagles to their first Africa Cup of Nations title since 2013.

Peseiro’s men head into their final Group A game against already-eliminated Guinea-Bissau in Abidjan on Monday knowing just a draw will be good enough to secure their place in the knockout stages.

But after watching his side shrug off their sluggish start against Equatorial Guinea by beating hosts Ivory Coast last time out, Peseiro is demanding his side maintain their belated momentum.

Peseiro told a press conference: “I have said I want to win AFCON even though my contract says I should get to the final.

“It would be better to protect myself and not create expectations because if I don’t win, it is worse for me. But I put my mind and the mind of my players that we want to win.”

Peseiro is expected to pick between Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho and Joe Aribo of Southampton for a midfield berth with Alhassan Yusuf set to miss out again.

Guinea-Bissau will go into the game at full strength despite their elimination after their second consecutive defeat against Equatorial Guinea last time out.

Head coach Baciro Cande is determined that his side bow out on a high note, admitting: “I feel sad.

“We wanted to win (against Equatorial Guinea) but did not succeed. Before their goal, we had four chances plus a penalty that was refused.

“We worked hard to be ready and football is sometimes like that. We have one game left to close the group stage, and we hope to win.”

NB: You can watch the Africa Cup of Nations on Sportsmax.

Ivan Toney may have been the centre of attention for Brentford but boss Thomas Frank was eager to single out another striker after the 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest.

Toney’s cheeky free-kick, on his return from an eight-month ban for breaching betting rules, set the Bees on their way to a first win in five matches.

But it was Neal Maupay’s well-taken turn and shot which secured a much-needed three points after Forest had made it 2-2.

“No one can do anything on their own in life, if you want to achieve something big, you can’t be alone,” said Frank.

“Ivan is one 11th of the team and if the 10 others are not performing, it doesn’t help. We need them all to perform together.

“Another one to highlight is Neal Maupay. The way he took his winning goal was very good. And the way he has come into the club is fantastic. We know what he is capable of, but five goals and three assists is impressive.

“It’s clear that they have got an eye for each other and they connect well. I like it.”

Toney’s strike, after rolling the ball from its original spot to find a gap between the wall and the near post, cancelled out a fine volley from Danilo.

Ben Mee then headed Brentford in front and Chris Wood responded in kind for Forest before Maupay’s 68th-minute winner.

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who felt Toney’s goal should have been disallowed, said: “The boys were organised, we scored and had good momentum. The attitude was excellent, with fighting spirit and togetherness.

“But mistakes dictate the result. The result is frustrating, but the performance was good.

“I think we played well. We must be proud of the way we did things, even though we lost the game. We are short of offensive options.”

Steven Naismith was impressed with the “intensity” that debutant substitute Dexter Lembikisa brought to Hearts’ play as they eked out a 2-1 victory over spirited fourth-tier side Spartans in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup fourth round on Saturday.

The Jamaica international right-back – who spent the first half of the campaign with Rotherham – joined the Jambos on loan from Wolves until the end of the season and the Jambos support got their first sight of him at Ainslie Park when he entered the fray just before the hour mark.

At that point Hearts were leading through Kenneth Vargas’ third goal in as many games but they were pegged back by a stunning equaliser from Spartans midfielder James Craigen before Frankie Kent spared the cinch Premiership side from ignominy when he headed the winner in stoppage time.

When asked about Lembikisa’s encouraging start, Naismith said: “That urgency and intensity I speak about, he gave us it.

“First time he gets the ball, he takes his man on, beats him and puts it in the box. He was also in at the back post a couple of times.

“He’s a good addition for us and that’s why we got him in as early as we could.

“The level he has played at and in the last year, in terms of becoming an international, he’s a good player to have in our squad. And it’s one where you will probably see the best of him as he goes on.”

On the day when 41-year-old goalkeeper Craig Gordon made his first start in 13 months following a double leg-break, another Hearts debutant against Spartans was 16-year-old attacker James Wilson, who came on at the same time as Lembikisa.

Japanese forwards Yutaro Oda and Kyosuke Tagawa were the two players who went off at that point after they failed to shine in the absence of talismanic striker Lawrence Shankland who missed out through illness.

Wilson signed a new contract with Hearts last summer amid interest from several clubs, including Manchester United and Aston Villa, and Naismith felt the teenager merited the chance to go on and help his team find a second goal.

“James came on because we needed him,” said Naismith. “He is somebody who is very intelligent with his movement and he’s a goal threat.

“I didn’t think we had enough goal threat at times and that’s why we put him on.

“He’s somebody who has come in full-time and has to learn and work on the aspects of physically where he is at compared to who he is coming up against. He’s definitely got the intelligence for it.”

Newcastle are preparing themselves for a series of big decisions over the final 10 days of the January transfer window as suitors attempt to take advantage of their spending restrictions.

The PA news agency understands the Magpies have rejected a loan offer from Bayern Munich for key defender Kieran Trippier and have received and rebuffed a similar approach from Atletico Madrid for striker Callum Wilson.

However, they are bracing themselves for follow-ups which could present the kind of dilemmas chief executive Darren Eales suggested might arise in the wake of the £400million-plus spending spree on which the club have embarked since their Saudi-backed owners took charge in October 2021 as a result of profit and sustainability rules.

Eales’ comments came earlier this month as Newcastle reported a loss after tax of £73.4m in their latest financial figures, after which he admitted that every player in Eddie Howe’s squad had their price as the club attempt to balance their books.

If that sparked fears that one of their most saleable assets – defender Sven Botman, midfielder Bruno Guimaraes or striker Alexander Isak – could be vulnerable, it appears to have prompted potential European buyers to test the water elsewhere.

Newcastle have not commented on the situation.

England full-back Trippier, 33, was the new regime’s first signing in January 2022 when he arrived at St James’ Park from Atletico in what has proved to be a bargain £12m move.

He has been the flagbearer for the progress which has been made since and has 18 months left on his existing contract.

While there is no particular desire to sell him, he is one of the club’s higher earners and a substantial cash offer would leave Newcastle with a decision to make, although that could be eased in part by Tino Livramento’s summer capture.

Similarly 31-year-old Wilson, who has nine England caps, has 18 months to run on his current deal as he works his way back from a calf injury.

Fitness problems have limited the frontman, who joined the club in a £20m move from Bournemouth in September 2020, in recent months, but he currently represents the only back-up to the in-form Isak in attack and the Magpies would need to have a replacement lined up before they could even consider allowing him to leave.

Robby McCrorie got his first Rangers start of the season against Dumbarton on Saturday and admits he wants more action.

The 25-year-old goalkeeper has played second fiddle to Jack Butland this season but was given his chance by Philippe Clement in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup fourth-round tie at a wet and wild Dumbarton stadium.

McCrorie, whose last start before this weekend was away to St Mirren in May 2023, made a good save in the first half from Michael Ruth but in the end the cinch Premiership side ran out easy 4-1 winners.

Goals from John Lundstram, Cyriel Dessers, skipper James Tavernier – from the spot – and substitute Scott Wright rendered Matthew Shiels’ goal a consolation for Stevie Farrell’s League Two side.

McCrorie, who has had loan spells at Berwick Rangers, Morton, Queen of the South and Livingston, told Rangers’ YouTube channel: “It feels like a long time. Obviously I want to be playing a lot more than I am.

“I just like the feeling that you’ve contributed, being a part of it, just playing 90 minutes.

“It’s just something I always want to do. I think everybody is the same, that’s all you want to do in football, play games so I just make sure I’m ready for whenever I’m called upon.

“I’m not going to lie, I don’t enjoy not playing.

“I do want to be playing every week but you can’t go in a huff, you do need to be ready all the time.

“So I take a lot of pride in working hard every day, giving everything in training because I think when you do that and you come into games, you’re more comfortable and you’re ready for it.”

Rangers return to cinch Premiership duty against Hibernian at Easter Road on Wednesday night.

The Light Blues, who had a January training camp in Spain, are eight points behind league leaders Celtic but have two games in hand.

McCrorie said: “The last couple of weeks we’ve got in a lot of training but it is to set us up for the next few months.

“It will be relentless, it will be non-stop, there will be games every three days again and there is a lot to look forward to.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called for the implementation of an automatic forfeit of games for teams whose fans commit racist abuse after the “totally abhorrent” incidents at Udinese and Sheffield Wednesday.

AC Milan’s players walked off the pitch after France international goalkeeper Mike Maignan reported hearing monkey noises coming from a section of the crowd at the Stadio Friuli.

Coventry’s Kasey Palmer said he received similar abuse similar abuse at Hillsborough and their 2-1 win was stopped for several minutes while the match officials spoke to both managers.

Milan’s players eventually returned to secure a 3-2 victory in added time but Infantino said there should be harsher punishments.

“As well as the three-step process (match stopped, match re-stopped, match abandoned), we have to implement an automatic forfeit for the team whose fans have committed racism and caused the match to be abandoned, as well as worldwide stadium bans and criminal charges for racists,” he said in a FIFA post on X.

“FIFA and football shows full solidarity to victims of racism and any form of discrimination. Once and for all: No to racism! No to any form of discrimination!

“The events that took place in Udine and Sheffield on Saturday are totally abhorrent and completely unacceptable. The players affected by Saturday’s events have my undivided support.

“We need ALL the relevant stakeholders to take action, starting with education in schools so that future generations understand that this is not part of football or society.”

Maignan said something had to change as racist abuse has been part of football for too long.

“This shouldn’t exist in the world of football, but unfortunately for many years this is a recurrence,” he told Milan TV after confirming he heard fans making monkey noises.

“With all the cameras present and sanctions for these things, something must be done to change things.

“We all have to react, we must do something because you can’t play like this.”

Milan and city rivals Inter have both publicly supported Maignan, Serie A said it “condemns all forms of racism”, while France striker Kylian Mbappe said “enough is enough”.

“You are very far from being alone Mike Maignan. We are all with you. Still the same problems and still NO solution. Enough is enough. NO TO RACISM,” Mbappe posted on X.

Former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright applauded the “solidarity” in the Milan side and urged teams to “keep walking off” when they hear abuse and called for stronger sanctions.

He wrote on X: “We did ‘playing through it’ and nothing has changed. Points deductions needed, the fines are pointless.”

However, Coventry midfielder Palmer admitted he was sceptical things would change in the game, also writing on X: “Racism is a disgrace… it has no place in the world, let alone football.

“I’m black and proud and I am raising my three kids to be the exact same. I’ll be honest, it feels like things will never change, no matter how hard we try.

“Couple fans doing monkey chants don’t define a fan base – I appreciate all the love and support I’ve received.”

Coventry owner Doug King and manager Mark Robins condemned the abuse and offered their full support to Palmer, while Sheffield Wednesday said they were “shocked and saddened” by the alleged incident and anyone found culpable will face “the strictest possible sanctions from both Sheffield Wednesday and the law”.

Manchester City signed Netherlands midfielder Nigel de Jong on this day in 2009 as a remarkable spending spree gathered pace.

The club were undergoing an astonishing overhaul following the takeover of Sheikh Mansour the previous summer and De Jong became a key cog in their rapid transformation from mid-table battlers to eventual champions.

De Jong, then 29, penned a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Premier League club after City agreed a fee of around £18million with Hamburg.

His arrival came soon after the high-profile captures of Craig Bellamy and Wayne Bridge at the then City of Manchester Stadium and was quickly followed, in the same transfer window, by that of goalkeeper Shay Given.

City had begun sending shockwaves through the transfer market on the day of the sheikh’s takeover in August 2008 when they snapped up Brazilian Robinho from Real Madrid for £32.5million.

They had set their sights even higher in January 2009 as they made an audacious, then world record, £100million attempt to buy Kaka from AC Milan.

That failed but De Jong’s signing, albeit far more modest, proved sensible as the defensive midfielder added steel to a side needing a grafter amid a huge influx of exciting attacking talent. Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Tevez were among the newcomers the following summer.

The Dutchman went on to make 137 appearances for City over three and a half years, helping them win the FA Cup and Premier League, before leaving for Milan.

He later had spells in the United States, Turkey and Qatar and also earned 81 international caps before retiring in 2021.

AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan said “something must be done” about racial abuse in football after walking off the pitch during a Serie A match at Udinese.

The 28-year-old France international and his team-mates walked off the pitch during the first half on Saturday, Maignan apparently indicating to referee Fabio Marescan he had heard the abuse from the crowd at the Stadio Friuli.

“I heard them making monkey noises,” Maignan told Milan TV.

“After it happened a second time, I went to the dugout to inform them of what had happened behind the goal.

“This shouldn’t exist in the world of football, but unfortunately for many years this is a recurrence.

“We all have to react, we must do something because you can’t play like this.”

He continued: “We accept the boos because that’s how it is away from home, but this issue of racism must not reach this level.

“With all the cameras present and sanctions for these things, something must be done to change things.”

Once play resumed after a short break, Milan won 3-2 with substitute Noah Okafor grabbing the winner in added time.

Maignan received support on social media after the match, Milan posting on X, formerly Twitter: “There is absolutely no place in our game for racism: we are appalled. We are with you, Mike.”

Inter, leaders of Serie A, were quick to reply to the post in support of their city rivals.

The Nerazzurri added on X: “We are brothers of the world, against all forms of discrimination. By your side.”

The official account of the league, @SerieA, added: “The league condemns all forms of racism.”

France striker Kylian Mbappe said “enough is enough” as he posted a message of support to Maignan on X.

He said: “You are very far from being alone Mike Maignan. We are all with you.

“Still the same problems and still NO solution. Enough is enough. NO TO RACISM.”

Former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright applauded the “solidarity” in the Milan side and urged teams to “keep walking off” when they hear abuse and called for stronger sanctions.

He wrote on X: “We did ‘playing through it’ and nothing has changed. Points deductions needed, the fines are pointless.”

Manchester United have named Omar Berrada as their new chief executive after raiding rivals Manchester City in a dramatic statement of intent.

United have been looking for a successor to Richard Arnold, who left the club in November, and Berrada appears to fit the bill following his success both on and off the field with City Football Group.

Berrada has been at City for nearly a decade in a variety of different guises, most recently as the chief football operations officer, also bringing significant experience in the commercial sector.

The PA news agency understands owners Joel and Avram Glazer appointed Berrada in consultation with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, whose Ineos firm has agreed to buy a 25 per cent stake in the Premier League club.

Berrada’s start date with his new club will be revealed in due course by United, who confirmed Patrick Stewart will continue as interim chief executive for the time being.

A United statement said: “Manchester United is pleased to announce the appointment of Omar Berrada as its new CEO.

“The club is determined to put football and performance on the pitch back at the heart of everything we do. Omar’s appointment represents the first step on this journey.

“As one of the most experienced football executives at the top of European football, Omar brings a wealth of football and commercial expertise, with a proven record of successful leadership and a passion to help lead change across the club.

“He is currently serving as chief football operations officer for City Football Group overseeing 11 clubs across five continents and, prior to this, held senior roles at Barcelona.

“It is our stated ambition to re-establish Manchester United as a title-winning club.

“We are pleased that Omar will be joining us to help achieve that goal, so that, once again, United fans can see, in the words of Sir Matt Busby, the red flag flying high at the summit of English, European and world football.”

AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan and his team-mates walked off the pitch during the first half of the 3-2 Serie A win at Udinese on Saturday evening.

The 28-year-old France international left the action shortly after his team had taken the lead, apparently indicating to referee Fabio Maresca that he had heard racist abuse from the crowd at the Stadio Friuli.

Maignan was followed by the other Milan players but they returned to the pitch soon after and play was able to resume around seven minutes after Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s goal had broken the deadlock.

Maignan was beaten three minutes later by a Lazar Samardzic shot, before substitute Florian Thauvin scored to give Udinese the lead.

However, fellow sub Luka Jovic earned the visitors a point with a close-range finish with eight minutes remaining, before another second-half replacement – Noah Okafor – won it in added-time.

Before the Maignan incident, Olivier Giroud had been denied in the 16th minute when his shot was saved at the near post by Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye.

The France international striker had another chance three minutes later but he failed to get clean contact on a  ball from Theo Hernandez and Okoye saved.

The visitors opened the scoring in the 31st minute when Loftus-Cheek netted his third Serie A goal of the season,  sidefooting Hernandez’s cutback into the corner with the aid of a slight deflection.

After the incident involving Maignan,  the hosts levelled when Samardzic’s curling left-footed shot from just outside the area gave the goalkeeper no chance.

Udinese took the lead in the 62nd minute, through Thauvin. The 30-year-old former Newcastle winger capitalised on weak defending from Fernandez and Tijani Reijnders before beating the exposed Maignan with a left-footed shot.

Yacine Adli should have done better for the visitors when unmarked at the far post in the 79th minute, then Giroud headed wide, under pressure, soon after.

The visitors equalised in the 82nd minute, Jovic reacting quickly to finish off from close range after Giroud’s deflected shot had struck the bar, just seven minutes after the Serbian’s introduction.

Giroud saw a shot tipped over in added time before Okafor got the visitors’ winner in the third minute of added-time, blasting in unmarked at the far post after Giroud had won a header.

The goal extended Milan’s winning run to four matches and reduced the gap on table-topping city rivals Inter to six points.

Tunisia claimed their first point in Africa Cup of Nations Group E as Hamza Rafia’s strike secured a 1-1 draw with Mali in Korhogo.

The 2004 champions, looking to bounce back from a shock 1-0 loss to Namibia in their opener, fell behind in the 10th minute via Lassine Sinayoko’s second goal of the tournament before hitting back through Rafia 10 minutes later.

While Jalel Kadri’s third-placed team get off the mark, Eric Chelle’s Mali top the group with four points, having beaten South Africa 2-0 in their first match.

Tunisia threatened in the opening few moments as Sheffield United’s Anis Ben Slimane’s curling free-kick from the left was punched away by goalkeeper Djigui Diarra.

Mali then grabbed the lead with what was their first real attack, Sinayoko collecting the ball from Kamory Doumbia, turning, squeezing past two men as he advanced into the box and drilling a low shot that went in off the far post to add to his goal against South Africa.

As Tunisia sought a swift reply captain Youssef Msakni’s header was intercepted on the line by Kiki Kouyate, and two minutes later they were level when Ali Abdi’s cutback teed up a Rafia strike, with Diarra getting a touch but unable to stop the ball going in.

The closing stages of the first half saw Doumbia shoot off-target, before Ben Slimane and Abdi did the same at the other end.

After the break, Bechir Ben Said did well to turn a Doumbia drive around the post and Sinayoko then failed to take two good chances in quick succession, missing the target on each on occasion.

Tunisia substitute Sayfallah Ltaief subsequently saw a strike blocked by Sikou Niakate and Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma, having also come off the bench, fired a free-kick wide late on as the sides shared the points.

Ivan Toney claimed he knew he would score and Brentford would win upon his return from his eight-month exile.

The striker, banned from football since May for breaching betting rules, was back on the scoresheet for the first time in 267 days in the 3-2 Premier League home win over Nottingham Forest.

Toney struck with an audacious free-kick to thrust himself back into the spotlight for the right reasons.

“It was a long time coming,” he told Sky Sports. “I manifested this win when I was at home during the time I was out, I am here now and buzzing to be back scoring goals and winning with the team.

“I knew this would happen. I manifest things like this. Before I left my house I thought ‘we’re winning today and I’m scoring’. And I made it happen.”

Danilo volleyed Forest into a third-minute lead before Orel Mangala gave away a free-kick on the edge of the area.

Only one player was going to take it, and just as Toney had when he scored in the corresponding fixture last season – his last goal before the ban – the 27-year-old nonchalantly stroked the free-kick around the wall and inside Matt Turner’s left-hand post.

Forest captain Ryan Yates was furious with Turner for not spotting the gap that Toney found, although no one noticed the England forward subtly rolling the ball a few inches to the right as the keeper was lining up his wall.

“Yeah, I saw the gap,” Toney added. “Sometimes you have a gap either way and I bent the ball around the wall and was happy to see it go in.”

But Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo felt the goal should not have stood.

“Ball displacement, and the law is clear,” he said. “Every goal must be checked. I don’t know if they checked or not.

“The players have to be a little bit mature as well because it changes the position of the ball. It’s a yard almost. But our players didn’t realise.”

Bees head coach Thomas Frank was blissfully unaware of the incident, and the law.

“I have no clue. I didn’t know that he did it,” said Frank. “He’s a clever player, what more can I say? He took it well and it’s in the back of the net.

“Classic Ivan. He loves the big stage and he thrives there. It’s extra impressive to come back after eight months and play the way he did, scoring a clever goal. Super impressive.”

Brentford went ahead in the 58th minute when Ben Mee got in front of his marker and headed home Mathias Jensen’s corner.

Seven minutes later Chris Wood glanced in a cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi for his fifth goal in four league matches under new boss Nuno.

But Toney was involved again when Brentford snatched the victory in the 70th minute, switching the play out to the right from where Jensen crossed for Neal Maupay to lash into the net and lift the Bees above their opponents and into 14th place.

Nuno added: “It was a good performance. I think we played well, we had good momentum, fighting spirit and togetherness. The result is frustrating but the performance was good.”

AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan and his team-mates walked off the pitch during the first half of the Serie A match at Udinese on Saturday evening.

The 28-year-old France international left the action shortly after his team had taken the lead, apparently indicating to referee Fabio Maresca he had heard racist abuse from the crowd at the Stadio Friuli.

Maignan was followed by the other Milan players but they returned to the pitch soon after and play was able to resume around seven minutes after Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s goal had broken the deadlock.

Maignan was beaten three minutes later by a Lazar Samardzic shot and the teams went in at half-time level at 1-1 after six minutes of stoppage time.

Ivan Toney claimed he knew he would score and Brentford would win upon his return from his eight-month exile.

The striker, banned from football since May for breaching betting rules, was back on the scoresheet for the first time in 267 days.

Toney struck with an audacious free-kick to thrust himself back into the spotlight for the right reasons.

“It was a long time coming,” he told Sky Sports. “I manifested this win when I was at home during the time I was out, I am here now and buzzing to be back scoring goals and winning with the team.

“I knew this would happen. I manifest things like this. Before I left my house I thought ‘we’re winning today and I’m scoring’. And I made it happen.”

Danilo volleyed Forest into a third-minute lead before Orel Mangala gave away a free-kick on the edge of the area.

Only one player was going to take it, and just as Toney had when he scored in the corresponding fixture last season – his last goal before the ban – the 27-year-old nonchalantly stroked the free-kick around the wall and inside Matt Turner’s left-hand post.

Forest captain Ryan Yates was furious with Turner for not spotting the gap that Toney found, although no one noticed the England forward subtly rolling the ball a few inches to the right as the keeper was lining up his wall.

“Yeah, I saw the gap,” Toney added. “Sometimes you have a gap either way and I bent the ball around the wall and was happy to see it go in.”

But Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo felt the goal should not have stood.

“Ball displacement, and the law is clear,” he said. “Every goal must be checked. I don’t know if they checked or not.

“The players have to be a little bit mature as well because it changes the position of the ball. It’s a yard almost. But our players didn’t realise.”

Bees head coach Thomas Frank was blissfully unaware of the incident, and the law.

“I have no clue. I didn’t know that he did it,” said Frank. “He’s a clever player, what more can I say? He took it well and it’s in the back of the net.

“Classic Ivan. He loves the big stage and he thrives there. It’s extra impressive to come back after eight months and play the way he did, scoring a clever goal. Super impressive.”

Brentford went ahead in the 58th minute when Ben Mee got in front of his marker and headed home Mathias Jensen’s corner.

Seven minutes later Chris Wood glanced in a cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi for his fifth goal in four league matches under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

But Toney was involved again when Brentford snatched the victory in the 70th minute, switching the play out to the right from where Jensen crossed for Neal Maupay to lash into the net and lift the Bees above their opponents and into 14th place.

Nuno added: “It was a good performance. I think we played well, we had good momentum, fighting spirit and togetherness. The result is frustrating but the performance was good.”