Nicolas Dominguez scored his first goal for 10-man Nottingham Forest as they held on for a 1-1 draw against Brentford at the City Ground.

Things looked bleak for Forest as they went down to 10 men just before the hour when Moussa Niakhate picked up a second yellow card, and immediately conceded to Christian Norgaard from the resulting free-kick.

But they rallied and Argentina international Dominguez levelled soon after with a looping header that Bees goalkeeper Mark Flekken appeared to misjudge.

Forest were able to see out the remaining 35 minutes with relative comfort to maintain their unbeaten start to the season on home soil.

The draw means Brentford have now gone five games without a win as their tricky start to the campaign continues.

There was a change to the match officials’ line-up after Darren England was dropped as fourth official following his mistake on Saturday night when, as VAR in Tottenham’s game against Liverpool, he failed to act properly in overturning the decision to rule out Luis Diaz’s goal for offside.

Craig Pawson was drafted in on the touchline and his colleagues in Stockley Park had an early test as Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi converted from close range after Willy Boly’s header from a corner.

He was immediately ruled offside but it was closer than it initially looked, with VAR Michael Oliver this time consulting the horizontal lines to confirm the decision.

The game could have done with that early goal standing as a drab first half followed, with nothing of interest happening until added time when a short free-kick routine saw Norgaard advance into the box but his deflected shot was palmed away by Matt Turner.

The second half immediately brought more entertainment as Brentford were close to taking the lead when Yoane Wissa closed down Turner and the ball trickled towards the net but Boly cleared.

Forest endured a chastening couple of minutes just before the hour that led to the Bees taking the lead.

Niakhate fouled Wissa, raking his studs up the back of his opponent’s leg, with referee Paul Tierney brandishing a second yellow card.

And from the resulting free-kick Norgaard got goalside and nodded Mathias Jensen’s delivery into the corner, with the goal surviving a lengthy review for offside.

Forest’s response was admirable, though, and they levelled eight minutes later as Harry Toffolo’s cross found Dominguez and his header looped over Flekken, with the goalkeeper appearing to pull his hand away as it went over him.

The final half-hour was an attack versus defence exercise as Brentford pushed to make their numerical advantage count, but they came up against a resolute Forest rearguard.

Morgan Gibbs-White produced a fine goal-saving tackle as the Bees broke at speed while debutant defender Murillo cleared off the line from Michael Olakigbe, with Norgaard firing over from the rebound.

Forest put bodies on the line to see out 13 minutes of injury time and earn a valuable point.

Phil Foden admits Manchester City have a big hole to fill after influential midfielder Rodri picked up a three-game ban in Saturday’s win over Nottingham Forest.

The Spain international was sent off early in the second half of City’s 2-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium for raising his hands towards the neck of Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.

The treble winners now face being without Rodri for their midweek Carabao Cup trip to Newcastle, next Saturday’s game at Wolves and – most crucially – the encounter at Arsenal on October 8.

Foden said: “He is one of our most important players and he seems to play all the minutes. He is going to be a big miss, but we have players to step up now and we are going to need them.”

Rodri’s dismissal dramatically changed the mood of a game City had been cruising to victory in following goals from Foden and Erling Haaland in the first 14 minutes.

A tame affair became fractious and City lost some of their composure before switching to a defensive mindset.

Attacking players Jeremy Doku and Julian Alvarez were sacrificed for Kalvin Phillips and Nathan Ake as manager Pep Guardiola took a pragmatic approach to secure three points.

“I thought we showed a different side to the team,” Foden said.

“It was not ideal with Rodri getting a red card so early in the second half, but I thought we showed heart and desire – a different side to the team that we sometimes need to show.

“I am really happy with the performance. We dug deep.”

Despite making their latest victory unnecessarily complicated, the champions’ 100 per cent start to the season remains intact.

In an ominous warning for the rest of the competition, Foden believes there is plenty more to come.

The 23-year-old said: “I would say it is a perfect start, but there are still a couple of gears for us to go. We are happy with the start, but we still know we can get better.”

Forest manager Steve Cooper was pleased with his side’s response in the second half and felt they should have got more from playing against 10-man City.

He said: “When you play a game and you get presented an opportunity, you really want to recognise that you have to take that.

“I’m not angry with the players. I’m not disappointed in any way, shape or form, and I’ve told them that.

“But I’ve just challenged them, like, ‘Come on boys, really back yourselves, because I do’.

“Hopefully we’ll reflect on the game and be motivated that we can play in these really tough games and do some good things.”

Pep Guardiola admitted he was angry with Rodri after the influential midfielder was sent off in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

The Spain international was dismissed early in the second half of Saturday’s Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium after raising his hands to the neck of Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.

Rodri protested at the time, and there was a delay before referee Anthony Taylor’s decision was upheld by VAR, but Guardiola claimed there could be no excuses for his conduct.

The City manager said: “Hopefully Rodri will learn. The game was perfect with 35 minutes gone and after it became chaos.

“That’s not our responsibility, that’s for sure, but Rodri has to control himself and his emotions. I can get a yellow card but Rodri can’t. I don’t play. The guys inside (the pitch) have to be careful.

“I said at half-time, ‘Be careful guys, relax, control your emotions’. Unfortunately, Rodri could not do it. Now we have to accept the decisions.”

Asked if he was angry with Rodri, Guardiola said: “Yes. I don’t like to play with 10 for our faults. He has apologised.”

Despite being critical of Rodri, Guardiola was not happy with the way the game was controlled by Taylor.

As well as Rodri’s red card, there were 11 bookings during the game, including one for Guardiola himself.

Guardiola said: “The referee changed the game.

“For the first 35 minutes, it was absolutely not (a bad game). What changed? What happened after 2-0, it’s not down to us. You have to ask the other ones but I don’t know if they will hang up the phone.”

City had put themselves into a comfortable lead with goals inside the first 14 minutes from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland.

After Rodri’s departure, the hosts needed to change approach and Guardiola was pleased with the outcome.

He said: “Our game in the first 35 minutes was beyond good, how we find our men free, it was really, really good.

“It was a lot of minutes we had to defend, and we conceded one chance in the 94th minute. We didn’t concede anything else, against a team who won at Stamford Bridge and created problems at Arsenal and Old Trafford.

“I’m really satisfied and pleased for all of us.”

Forest manager Steve Cooper had conflicting thoughts about his side’s performance.

He said: “We had a really poor start in terms of goals conceded. We knew the level of the challenge we faced here – it doesn’t get any tougher – and the two City goals were of great quality, typical City goals.

“But we’d planned for that. It was a repeat tactic and to let it happen as easily as they did – if they were going to score I wanted it to be with real difficulty.

“The game changes with the red card. That we had a second half played in City’s half I have mixed feelings about.

“You rarely get an opportunity to have that territory here. Even more experienced teams don’t get anywhere near that but we need to make more of these opportunities. We have got to be more productive.”

Manchester City had Rodri sent off as they extended their winning start in the Premier League with an unnecessarily complicated 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.

The champions looked to be cruising to victory after early goals from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland put them in complete control at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

The mood changed dramatically early in the second half when Rodri was dismissed for violent conduct after raising his hands towards the neck of Morgan Gibbs-White.

The game became fractious and City lost some of their discipline before manager Pep Guardiola switched to a defensive shape to secure the three points.

It was City’s sixth win in succession at the start of their latest title defence but the price of Rodri’s indiscretion is yet to be seen. The influential Spaniard now faces a three-game ban which will include a trip to Arsenal next month.

That City made such hard work of victory was extraordinary given their dominant and untroubled start.

Julian Alvarez had already forced a good save from Matt Turner from a free-kick when they pieced together a remarkable 46-pass move that led to the opening goal inside seven minutes.

The hosts built patiently before Rodri caught out the Forest defence with a superb crossfield ball to pick out Kyle Walker’s run into the box. The England full-back’s touch was equally brilliant as he laid off to Foden with a cushioned volley. Foden then did the rest with a clinical strike.

City doubled their lead seven minutes later, this time after a Matheus Nunes run down the right.

The Portuguese reached the byline and then centred perfectly for Haaland, scorer of a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture last season, to head home from close range.

In spite of some rumblings about the high volume of chances the Norwegian had missed in his previous two games, it was his eighth goal in nine appearances.

Forest’s first serious attack ended when Taiwo Awoniyi was tripped on the edge of the area by Manuel Akanji. Both the Swiss and Guardiola – for his protestations – were booked but Gibbs-White’s free-kick came to nothing.

Alvarez twice went close to adding to City’s lead before the break as he forced another save from Turner before being denied by a good block from Willy Boly.

City’s control temporarily evaporated within minutes of the restart when Rodri got involved in a tussle with Gibbs-White by the corner flag.

The pair came face to face as the situation escalated and, amid the pushing and shoving, Rodri placed his hands close to Gibbs-White’s neck. The Forest midfielder ended up on the ground and referee Anthony Taylor showed the red card in Rodri’s direction.

City were unsettled and moments later Ederson and Awoniyi were booked after clashing in the area.

Guardiola settled his side by sacrificing Jeremy Doku and Alvarez for Kalvin Phillips and Nathan Ake.

Forest battled on but did not look like scoring until Anthony Elanga and Boly tested Ederson in injury time.

Haaland could have added a third for City but volleyed over after a good run by Ake.

There were further scuffles in the closing minutes with Jack Grealish – returning from injury as a late substitute – involved but City saw it out.

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper expected Callum Hudson-Odoi to have a big impact as his “moment of brilliance” earned a 1-1 draw with Burnley.

Hudson-Odoi reminded the Premier League what he is capable of with a fine debut goal, bringing his side level with a brilliant curling effort in the second half after Zeki Amdouni had put the Clarets ahead.

It is 18 months since the 22-year-old last played in England’s top flight as his promising Chelsea career petered out, but, after a year on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, he was back with a bang.

He was Forest’s brightest spark following his deadline-day move from Stamford Bridge and got his reward.

“Any new player will want to hit the ground running and show what they can do,” Cooper said. “We got Anthony (Elanga) and Callum in really good positions and we could have done more with them.

“I know he has quality and he can have moments of brilliance. We need that at times in the Premier League and we got one tonight. It is great for him, great for us obviously.

“He hasn’t played much football, he has trained well, but I backed him to do well tonight. He ran out of legs, I didn’t think we’d get that long out of him. We have got to push him to do more of that.

“You see goals like that in the Premier League, there is so much quality. It is a brilliant goal. We have had a few of those scored against us but we haven’t had too many of them for us. Beautiful strike, beautiful technique, great for him, great for the team. He will feel good about that.”

The point for Burnley enabled them to get their campaign up and running after three successive defeats, but they might be disappointed they did not leave with all three after they were denied a late winner by VAR as Sander Berge was ruled to have handled the ball.

They then ended the game with 10 men after Lyle Foster elbowed Ryan Yates deep into added time, with VAR also intervening.

Clarets boss Vincent Kompany was pragmatic in his response.

“I have a decent business brain and a decent coaching brain, but when it comes to the laws and legalities I switch off,” he said.

“A handball this way and handball that way, people come in and explain to us all of the time, but I have come to a decision to trust they know what they are doing and that they have the right intentions.

“It’s not something I want to discuss too much because I can’t change it now.”

Having played Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham in their opening three games, Kompany is seeing an improvement.

“You have to fight for every point in this league, but there is a range of teams that we can compete with at the moment from what I have observed,” the Belgian added.

“I thought today was at least even and depending what side of the fence you sit on you probably think you deserved three points.

“But, if we stay in these games, our team has got so much progress still to go and that is the exciting things for us. In these types of games we are there, but in the future there is room for much further improvement.”

Callum Hudson-Odoi reminded the Premier League what he is capable of with a brilliant debut goal to earn Nottingham Forest a 1-1 draw with Burnley.

It is 18 months since the 22-year-old last played in England’s top flight as his promising Chelsea career petered out, but, after a year on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, he was back with a bang.

He was Forest’s brightest spark following his deadline-day move from Stamford Bridge and brought his side level with a brilliant curling effort in the second half after Zeki Amdouni had put the Clarets ahead.

Hudson-Odoi is reunited with Steve Cooper, who managed the winger when he was part of the England Under-17 World Cup-winning squad, and England boss Gareth Southgate will hope the Welshman can get the best out of a player he has not used since 2019 and who is considering changing his allegiance to Ghana.

The point for Burnley enabled them to get their campaign up and running after three successive defeats, but they might be disappointed they did not leave with all three after they were denied a late winner by VAR, while they ended the game with 10 men after Lyle Foster elbowed Ryan Yates.

Forest, handing debuts to Hudson-Odoi and Ibrahim Sangare, looked vibrant in the opening 20 minutes and were causing Burnley problems with their pace on the break.

Hudson-Odoi, playing his first Premier League match since January 2022, was enjoying himself and saw a shot blocked after cutting inside from the left.

He came even closer in the 16th minute as Taiwo Awoniyi teed him up and his 20-yard effort was palmed away by Clarets goalkeeper James Trafford.

Burnley weathered the storm and began to come into the game.

They fired a warning shot in the 25th minute when Amdouni fired a low shot toward the bottom corner, but Matt Turner got down well to keep the ball out.

But the Clarets did take lead in the 41st minute as Luca Koleosho skinned Joe Worrall down the left and pulled the ball back for Amdouni to fire into the bottom corner.

Hudson-Odoi had looked Forest’s most dangerous player and he brought the City Ground to life just after the hour mark.

Awoniyi did well to control a high cross and he laid it off to the former Chelsea winger, who cut inside and sent a 20-yard curling effort in off a post, with the goal surviving a VAR check.

Burnley were not so lucky as they thought they had regained the lead in the 76th minute when Sander Berge got past Scott McKenna and teed up Foster, but the Norwegian was ruled to have used his hand and the visitors were denied.

And Foster’s experience with VAR did not get any better as he was shown a red card in added time after referee Robert Jones was invited to check the pitchside monitor after the forward was caught elbowing Yates.

Callum Hudson-Odoi reminded the Premier League what he is capable of with a brilliant debut goal to earn Nottingham Forest a 1-1 draw with Burnley.

It is 18 months since the 22-year-old last played in England’s top flight as his promising Chelsea career petered out, but, after a year on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, he was back with a bang.

He was Forest’s brightest spark following his deadline-day move from Stamford Bridge and brought his side level with a brilliant curling effort in the second half after Zeki Amdouni had put the Clarets ahead.

Hudson-Odoi is reunited with Steve Cooper, who managed the winger when he was part of the England Under-17 World Cup-winning squad, and England boss Gareth Southgate will hope the Welshman can get the best out of a player he has not used since 2019 and who is considering changing his allegiance to Ghana.

The point for Burnley enabled them to get their campaign up and running after three successive defeats, but they might be disappointed they did not leave with all three after they were denied a late winner by VAR, while they ended the game with 10 men after Lyle Foster elbowed Ryan Yates.

Forest, handing debuts to Hudson-Odoi and Ibrahim Sangare, looked vibrant in the opening 20 minutes and were causing Burnley problems with their pace on the break.

Hudson-Odoi, playing his first Premier League match since January 2022, was enjoying himself and saw a shot blocked after cutting inside from the left.

He came even closer in the 16th minute as Taiwo Awoniyi teed him up and his 20-yard effort was palmed away by Clarets goalkeeper James Trafford.

Burnley weathered the storm and began to come into the game.

They fired a warning shot in the 25th minute when Amdouni fired a low shot toward the bottom corner, but Matt Turner got down well to keep the ball out.

But the Clarets did take lead in the 41st minute as Luca Koleosho skinned Joe Worrall down the left and pulled the ball back for Amdouni to fire into the bottom corner.

Hudson-Odoi had looked Forest’s most dangerous player and he brought the City Ground to life just after the hour mark.

Awoniyi did well to control a high cross and he laid it off to the former Chelsea winger, who cut inside and sent a 20-yard curling effort in off a post, with the goal surviving a VAR check.

Burnley were not so lucky as they thought they had regained the lead in the 76th minute when Sander Berge got past Scott McKenna and teed up Foster, but the Norwegian was ruled to have used his hand and the visitors were denied.

And Foster’s experience with VAR did not get any better as he was shown a red card in added time after referee Robert Jones was invited to check the pitchside monitor after the forward was caught elbowing Yates.

Harry Toffolo’s deteriorating mental health and belief that his football career was over were “very substantial mitigation” for him breaching Football Association betting rules, according to an independent regulatory commission.

Toffolo was given a suspended five-month ban after admitting 375 breaches of FA betting rules and was also fined just under £21,000. The Nottingham Forest full-back placed the bets between 2014 and 2017.

In written reasons published by the commission, it was stated Toffolo – who admitted the charge in full – placed 202 bets on matches in competitions in which his clubs were participating or had participated. There were also two spot bets placed by the player on events which involved himself as well as 15 identified to have been made against his own clubs.

Of the 375 bets, he staked £1,323.92, averaging £3.53 per bet. His total return was £956.22 – a loss of £367.70.

Toffolo placed a bet on himself to score in the 2015 League One play-off final at Wembley for Swindon, who lost 4-0 to Preston.

The independent regulatory commission accepted Toffolo’s explanation of having placed that bet “in excitement”.

The commission found Toffolo began placing bets on football, as well as other sports, when he was 18 and stopped at 21, with stakes “generally small”. He lost money overall, although he did profit from certain categories of bet.

There was no suggestion Toffolo was involved in match fixing or benefited from “any particular inside information” and he was “driven principally, if not exclusively, by his own belief as to what the outcome of a particular match or event might be”.

In the witness statements served on Toffolo’s behalf and also his own oral evidence, it was demonstrated the player “had a number of very difficult times in the period” when he was coming to terms with being told, during January 2014, he did not feature in the plans of then-Norwich manager Chris Hughton but could also not go out on loan to gain experience.

The commission reported “as a result he perceived that his future at NCFC (in the U23 development squad) looked bleak” and it was around that time Toffolo began gambling, partly to “alleviate his low mood but principally because he wanted to ‘fit in’ with players who were claiming to be gambling regularly and successfully”.

Following a loan move to Stoke, Toffolo said away from the pitch he “struggled with his mental health for a variety of reasons” which led him to gamble with increasing frequency.

The player also talked about feelings of loneliness when staying in a hotel during a short-term stint at Rotherham and that he became depressed when sent out on loan to Preston until the end of the 2015-2016 season, when he considered his career in football “to be over”.

The commission accepted there “appears to have been a link” between the state of Toffolo’s mental health and his gambling and noted when he joined Scunthorpe in August 2016 he “thrived far better”, with his family having also made the move. The frequency of his gambling decreased considerably and eventually stopped altogether.

On the basis of the evidence, the commission concluded the bets placed by Toffolo during the relevant periods “were the result, at least in large part, of the significant mental health challenges” he endured over those periods.

The commission found, with the support of his family and those around him and with external help from a sports psychologist, Toffolo made huge efforts to “turn things around”.

“That he did so, and did so so successfully, is a credit to him and, we hope, might serve as inspiration to other participants who might find themselves struggling with mental health issues,” the commission’s statement added.

On the sanctions, the commission stressed Toffolo’s breaches were “significant” and could not be described as “trivial despite the low stakes involved”.

While there was “substantial mitigation”, the commission felt a sporting sanction was nonetheless “appropriate and proportionate in light of the serious nature of the breaches committed over a lengthy period of time”.

It was acknowledged the suspended sanction could be viewed as “too lenient” but was concluded the “particular circumstances of this case justified the nature, duration and terms of the suspension”.

Forest have declined to comment on the sanctions imposed on Toffolo.

Manager Steve Cooper was among those to provide evidence to the commission, describing the defender as a ‘true professional’ and family man who has a positive impact on the dressing room and in the wider community.

The sanctions on Toffolo follow the imposition of an eight-month ban on Brentford striker Ivan Toney in May for breaches of FA betting regulations.

Nottingham Forest full-back Harry Toffolo has been given a suspended five-month ban after admitting 375 breaches of Football Association betting rules.

The FA said the 28-year-old had also been fined £20,956.22 by an independent regulatory commission.

Toffolo was charged by the FA in July, and the player has admitted breaches of FA betting rules between January 22, 2014 and March 18, 2017. The ban is suspended until the end of the 2024-25 season.

The FA said the written reasons in the case would be published in due course.

The sanctions on Toffolo follow the imposition of an eight-month ban on Brentford striker Ivan Toney in May for breaches of FA betting regulations.

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis says his club are on a path to becoming a “dominant force in English football”.

After securing survival in their first Premier League season in 23 years last term, Forest are looking to kick on and have made a decent start, winning two of their four opening games, including a 1-0 win at Chelsea on Saturday.

Marinakis has again invested heavily, with a splurge of signings on transfer deadline day as seven players arrived at the City Ground.

Divock Origi, Ibrahim Sangare, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Nicolas Dominguez were among those and Forest now look to have a much stronger squad than last year.

And Marinakis, who has also made a significant investment in the club’s infrastructure, wants to see his club back at the top table of English football.

“Our vision for the club is clear and unwavering: we are on a path to re-establish Nottingham Forest as a dominant force in English football,” he said in a letter to fans.

“This journey is not just about the short-term, it’s about building a sustainable future. We are investing in youth development, nurturing young talent, and building a squad that can compete at the highest level for years to come.

“The players we have brought in are fighters and winners who understand and believe in our vision for the future of this great club.

“When players of the talents of those we have brought in this summer choose Nottingham Forest over the other dominant European clubs chasing their signatures, you should know that they choose us because we have shared with them our vision and they have fully invested in what it is we want to achieve.”

Forest were able to recoup over £45million on Brennan Johnson, who was sold to Tottenham, and Marinakis paid tribute to a player who came through the City Ground ranks.

“He is the ultimate young professional and his contributions to the club he loves have been enormous – helping us achieve promotion back to the Premier League and instrumental in helping us retain that status on the final home game of last season,” the owner added.

“In moving to Tottenham Hotspur he has also provided his boyhood club with the financial means to reinvest and continue to grow.

“We thank him for being part of our family and giving so much of himself to us. Go well, Brennan, be strong and healthy and we wish you every success.”

Ben Chilwell admits Chelsea need to find a ruthless streak as their inconsistent start to the Premier League season saw them lose at home to Nottingham Forest.

Anthony Elanga came off the bench to score the only goal of the game as Steve Cooper’s visitors left Stamford Bridge with a hard-fought 1-0 win.

Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino had named the same side that beat Luton last time out in the league but, despite dominating possession, the Blues failed to find a way past Matt Turner in the Forest goal.

The hosts had 21 shots to Forest’s seven but managed to get just two on target as Nicolas Jackson – one of their big-money summer signings – missed a sitter in the search for an equaliser.

The loss leaves Chelsea on four points from four games, already eight points off the pace despite a summer of heavy recruitment.

“We are moving in the right direction,” Chilwell told the club’s official website.

“Every game we have controlled possession and the majority of matches we have played well. We need to finish chances, be more ruthless and stay composed to get back into games.

“That’s the final bit, finishing our chances. If you look at the stats we dominated the game, had the possession, but the most important stat is the goals. We lost in that department and lost the game, that is the black and white of it.”

Chilwell, who will now link up with England for their forthcoming fixtures against Ukraine and Scotland, believes results will improve once Pochettino’s new-look squad become more familiarised.

“It is a very new team still and a lot of new players still trying to find their feet at a new club,” he added.

“You have to understand their playing styles but it is a game we still should be winning. No excuses. We will hopefully turn this round as the confidence grows.”

Forest also had a busy summer in the transfer market as they recruited 13 new signings in a bid to avoid another relegation scrap.

Elanga was one of them, arriving from Manchester United for £15million, and he made the difference three minutes into the second half at Chelsea having only replaced Danilo in first-half stoppage time.

Asked if his first Forest goal was something he could now aim to build on, the Sweden international replied: “I need to play for me to build that confidence and that’s something I didn’t really get to do at United.

“But now that I’m here, I feel like I’ve got the confidence of the manager who has given me these opportunities and hopefully these opportunities will turn into starts and more goals and assists.”

Steve Cooper said his Nottingham Forest players used the “belief and frustration” from their narrow defeat at Old Trafford to steer them to a surprise win at Chelsea.

Anthony Elanga hit the only goal of the game early in the second half, making the most of Moises Caicedo losing possession as Forest secured a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.

Having already suffered close defeats at Arsenal and Manchester United in the opening weeks of the Premier League campaign, a win in west London would have pleased Cooper.

Asked if the belief from the performance at United had helped his players heading into the game at Chelsea, he replied: “Yes, I definitely think that – and also the frustration.

“We took that into the week and the guys spoke quite passionately in the dressing room after the (United) game and I reminded them of what some of them said in the build-up to this one and fair play to them, they took that into today.

“We knew it was going to be the type of game that it was – you don’t come here to plan to dominate possession and have chance after chance, but if you do certain things well you can create chances and keep a clean sheet. That is how it unfolded.”

Cooper reserved special praise for Joe Worrall, the Forest captain putting in a fine display just days after the death of his police officer uncle.

“He’s been incredible,” Cooper said of his skipper.

“I personally have known what was going on before it came to public (knowledge) and he’s put his family second for the football club.

“I think the club has helped them in terms of giving them a bit of a release and the guys just showed him a huge amount of respect in the dressing room after what he’s been through.

“I cannot speak highly enough of the man that he’s been over the last week or so. I know how important today will be for him and it will give him and his family some respite because nothing can really make what happened any better, but at least it gives them some nice feelings.”

Defeat for Chelsea means they have won just one of their first four league games under Mauricio Pochettino.

The head coach stuck with the same starting XI that beat Luton last time out in the Premier League but was also able to turn to Noni Madueke, new signing Cole Palmer, Ian Maatsen and Mykhailo Mudryk off the bench as Chelsea searched in vain for an equaliser.

“We were not clinical in both areas,” Pochettino said of the Chelsea performance.

“We made a mistake and then we created opportunities, but if you don’t score it is difficult to win games. This type of game I think will help us to be more mature, it is not only about having quality, it is also about competing in different ways.

“Of course we can’t say that we didn’t deserve more, but in football the stats sometimes reflect what you do and in that case we created but we didn’t score and we only had a few shots on target.

“We are building something and it is always up and down. We are unlucky because I think we deserved more against West Ham and today – but I have said before, it is only a matter of time.”

Anthony Elanga came off the bench to score the only goal of the game as Nottingham Forest stunned Chelsea to win at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues stuck with the same side that had outclassed Luton last time out but Forest left with all three points after Elanga’s early second-half strike secured a 1-0 victory.

The visitors, who had already performed admirably in narrow defeats at Arsenal and Manchester United, finally got a result against a top-six club that their displays had deserved.

Despite nine new signings, Mauricio Pochettino has made just two changes to his starting line-up in their four Premier League games this season – but they have won only one of them.

It was club-record signing Moises Caicedo who was at fault for Elanga’s goal, while new signing Cole Palmer could not stamp his mark on proceedings as he made his debut off the bench.

Raheem Sterling, fresh off his brace against Luton, had a good chance in the opening moments but Ola Aina’s brave challenge kept the Chelsea man at bay.

As Sterling set about trying to prove he was worthy of a place in the England squad he was once again omitted from last week, it was Conor Gallagher – who did make Gareth Southgate’s cut – who bent a shot just wide of the target.

Sterling, the liveliest spark in Chelsea’s attack during a forgettable first half, crossed for Ben Chilwell but he could not turn home the low centre as a stop-start first half wore on.

Forest enjoyed some possession down their right and earned a free-kick in a dangerous area when Thiago Silva dragged Taiwo Awoniyi to the ground, with the in-form striker flashing a shot over the crossbar after the resulting set-piece dropped to him in the box.

Having already scored at the Emirates Stadium and Old Trafford this season, Awoniyi came close again with an acrobatic close-range effort that flashed just wide of a post.

The visitors were forced into a change in first-half stoppage time as Danilo limped off after chasing a ball over the top, with Elanga on in his place.

The Sweden forward – signed from Manchester United for a reported £15million – got off the mark for Forest shortly after the restart.

A heavy touch in midfield from Caicedo gifted possession to Forest with Chelsea’s defence out of position and the away side took full advantage.

Awoniyi threaded a pass through the legs of Thiago Silva and into the path of Elanga, who coolly slotted past Robert Sanchez to break the deadlock.

Chelsea toiled in their quest to draw level as Pochettino threw on Noni Madueke, Palmer, Ian Maatsen and Mykhailo Mudryk in search of a goal.

It should have come through Nicolas Jackson but the summer arrival from Villarreal turned over on the stretch from six yards after some good work from Sterling picked him out in a great position.

Tottenham have completed the signing of Brennan Johnson from Nottingham Forest in a deal worth £47.5million.

Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou made the Wales international his number one target following the departure of Harry Kane last month and secured the services of the young attacker late on transfer deadline day.

Johnson has signed a deal at Tottenham until the summer of 2029 after bringing his lengthy association at Forest to an end.

Versatile forward Johnson made his Forest debut in 2019, following in the footsteps of father David, and went on to make 108 appearances for his boyhood club, scoring 29 goals.

Ex-Lincoln loanee Johnson became a key figure following Steve Cooper’s arrival at the City Ground and was prominent in the club’s promotion to the Premier League in 2022 before he scored eight times last season to guide them to top flight survival.

While Johnson signed a four-year deal at Forest last summer, he has been prized away for a fee worth £47.5m with a 10 per cent sell-on clause included in the transfer.

Forest did turn down two bids from Brentford for Johnson – who can play anywhere across the front three – earlier in the window, but this sale will help satisfy their Financial Fair Play requirements.

Johnson’s arrival concludes a busy summer of incomings for Tottenham under new head coach Postecoglou, who has taken on a lead role on transfers in the absence of a director of football.

The Australian revealed on Friday that Spurs were close to finding a replacement for Fabio Paratici, who resigned from the role in April.

“If you look at the way the club’s worked previously, that’s always been in place,” Postecoglou said of a director of football.

“When you’re doing something and there’s already a process in place, then you know how it’s going to work.

“Where there’s a new manager and no sporting director, I think anyone would say it’s unusual.

“Yeah, I think it will (be resolved soon). That’s definitely the club’s plan. It’s fair to say that going into the window, there was no point in rushing that appointment, particularly with a new manager in.

“The thinking behind it was that probably the best way to charter this unusual process is to have less involvement with new people as possible. So far, the evidence, when you see the players we’ve brought in, I think we’ve navigated it pretty well.

“I’m not going to appoint the person, I’m certainly not going to get involved in that process.

“The club have already got a clear idea of the way I work and the way I think and the way I want my teams to play. Whoever that person is, it’s my role then to get him to understand me and see the game through my eyes.

“I’ve never felt encumbered with whoever I work with. I usually get my way with whoever I work with. I don’t have total control. I have control of one side of it.

“I wouldn’t see the sense in bringing a player in I didn’t think would fit. I don’t care who was putting him forward or giving him to me, because I think ultimately whatever happens I’m going to take responsibility.

“I like working with a sporting director because they do most of the leg work that I just don’t have the time to do.

“When you’ve got a good sporting director, you work together. They see the game through your eyes.”

Johnson’s arrival was Tottenham’s only incoming on transfer deadline day after proposed moves for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher and Lloyd Kelly of Bournemouth collapsed.

Spurs had to trim their squad before they could sanction any more incomings and even though defenders Japhet Tanganga and Sergio Reguilon left on loan to join Augsburg and Manchester United respectively, Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez were unable to secure transfers away.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg also turned down an approach from Fulham and further talks with Atletico Madrid collapsed, while Tanguy Ndombele and Bryan Gil remained at Tottenham.

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany felt his side paid a price for their 1-0 Carabao Cup win at Nottingham Forest after Hjalmar Ekdal sustained a serious-looking knee injury.

Substitute Zeki Amdouni volleyed home a last-minute winner to settle a largely forgettable tie and clinch Burnley a third-round clash at Salford.

But Vitinho, Aaron Ramsey and Ekdal were all forced off through injury, with the latter carried off on a stretcher following a second-half goalmouth scramble.

When asked about his players’ injuries, Kompany said: “One I think will be bad. It looked like it. I’ll take anything positive on that of course.

“In terms of Viti (Vitinho), we hope he’s not too bad. Certainly, it cost us a little bit this game.

“From what I’ve seen and watching the images, it looks knee for both (Vinho and Ekdal). There’s different degrees, it could just be a strain, but for Ekdal – we hope it’s not too bad. He was in a lot of pain.

“I really hope he’s not too bad, but there was a cost to this game for sure.”

Switzerland forward Amdouni, signed from Basel in July, was a 78th-minute replacement for Jay Rodriguez and fired home his first goal in English football in his third appearance for the Clarets.

“He’s got a real goal threat,” Kompany added. “I hope that’s one of many for him. That’s one exciting thing about our squad. I’m not saying in year one you’re going to be bursting the net every week.

“But in the future, potentially in our squad there’s a real goal threat. How long it will take I don’t know. Some guys are always dangerous on the pitch.”

Neither side created a scoring chance worthy of note before Amdouni’s late intervention and Forest boss Steve Cooper said his side “got what they deserved”.

He said: “We feel really short with our performance levels, both collectively and individually and certainly with the ball.

“I didn’t think we were going to concede a goal. The game had 0-0 written all over it. It wasn’t a great game obviously. Technically we were miles off it today.”

The introduction of Brennan Johnson and Morgan Gibbs-White midway through the second half failed to spark Forest in to life.

Johnson has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham but Cooper insisted that was not why the Wales forward started on the bench.

“I know there’s a lot of speculation about him, but it’s not really affecting us at the moment and until we get told different we’ll deal with it and it’s business as usual,” he added.