- Toney scored just 19 minutes into his first match back since his eight-month ban
- Click here for live updates for Brentford’s league clash with Nottingham Forest
- Ivan Toney is ambitious and wants to win titles… you can’t begrudge him that! It’s All Kicking Off
Some smart thinking by Ivan Toney saw him score in his first match back following his eight-month ban from football.
The Brentford striker scored 19 minutes into his return with a curling free-kick, after Nottingham Forest had taken the lead through Danilo.
Replays showed that after speaking to one of his team-mates, Toney bent over to move the ball once to his right, before doing so again.
Nottingham Forest player Ryan Yates could sense the danger as he motioned to his goalkeeper Matt Turner that he thought Toney would look to bend the free-kick around the wall into the back of the net.
This didn’t make a difference though as by moving the ball, Toney worked himself a better angle while impacting the placement of the wall, and the Brentford star was able to find a gap between the Forest wall and Callum Hudson-Odoi who was standing off it.
Smart thinking by Ivan Toney led to Brentford pulling themselves level against Nottingham Forest
Toney knew what he wanted to do from the free-kick by bending it into the back of the net
Toney moved the ball twice to his right to work himself a better angle at the Forest goal
His tactic worked as he found a space between the wall and Callum Hudson-Odoi to find the back of the net
Sky Sports pundits Michael Dawson and Karen Carney disagreed on the impact that moving the ball would have had on the goal.
Dawson said at half-time: ‘Ivan Toney moves the ball slightly I don’t think that has too much of an impact on the outcome, I really don’t.
‘I’m not sure what Callum Hudson-Odoi is doing here. There was only one thing that was going to happen and that’s Toney shooting.’
Carney in response though said she ‘definitely’ believed that Toney moving the ball had an impact on the goal.
She said: ‘The wall was poor but I think he moving the ball gives him more of that angle just to bend it around again.
‘There’s Yates fuming saying come on goalkeeper he’s going to bend it there. Look he’s gonna put it in there. The goalkeeper goes over checks but says ‘No I’m happy’.’
There has been much anticipation over Toney’s return and the Bees gave him a WWE-style entrance to The Undertaker’s theme music before the game.
Toney wheeled away in celebration after levelling for the hosts after Danilo gave Forest a third minute lead.
He was seen celebrating the goal with Brentford manager Thomas Frank, before raising a t-shirt reading ‘For You, Uncle Brian’.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, speaking on Sky Sports, hailed Toney’s comeback to Premier League action.
There has been a lot of anticipation over Toney’s return following his eight-month ban
‘Not just for Brentford but for Uncle Brian as well, king of kings what a comeback,’ Carragher said.
‘They should have known what was coming, Forest, and he’s done it against them before.’
The forward was sanctioned last May for breaching FA regulations over gambling, with his ban ending earlier this week.
Toney had been limited to training sessions, behind closed doors and in-house games since September.
The 27-year-old, who scored 20 goals in 33 Premier League games last season, was handed the captaincy by Frank on his return to the side.
