Nottingham Forest 1-3 Brentford: Henrik Dalsgaard, Josh Dasilva and Ivan Toney score at City Ground

Chris Hughton has been at great pains to insist Nottingham Forest are not in a relegation battle. But his team are certainly carrying many of the traits of teams in trouble.

A slow start that saw them take 38 minutes to conjure an effort at goal, an early Brentford goal conceded from a set-piece, a long spell of dominance that saw them hammer away but squander good opportunities, a disallowed goal and penalty shouts turned down.

All that was then capped off by a sucker-punch on the counter-attack and finally a classic defensive mix-up to make Brentford’s win all the more flattering.

Goalkeeper Brice Samba endures an abject afternoon as Nottingham Forest lose to Brentford

Ivan Toney (left) enjoys scoring Forest’s third after goals by Henrik Dalsgaard and Josh Dasilva

It really isn’t difficult to understand why Hughton’s Forest find themselves teetering just about the Championship relegation places. The one crumb of comfort is that their East Midlands rivals Derby are worse off.

Brentford, meanwhile, are now unbeaten in 11 matches, inside the top six once again and showed a defensive resilience that has eluded them in recent weeks when too many games they should have won ended up as draws.

As Hughton reflected on a seventh winless game, of which six have been defeats, he rued all-too-familiar failings: ‘In this tough run, this is as disappointed as I’ve been.

‘I want us to start between than we did. The three goals we conceded were three really poor goals. That sums us up.

‘These individual mistakes are costing us because at the moment we don’t have the ability at the other end to capitalise.’

Brentford dominated most of the first-half and led with a simple goal after 15 minutes. Nobody tracked Henrik Dalsgaard, one of the tallest men on the pitch, as he darted to the near post and headed Mathias Jensen’s corner past keeper Brice Samba.

The Bees should have been out of sight by the time Forest got a sniff of goal. Ivan Toney fired into the side-netting and then just over with an acrobatic volley, while Bryan Mbeumo forced Samba into a sharp low save.

Finally, Forest created something just before half-time, with David Raya saving well from Sammy Ameobi and they emerged a totally different team afterwards.

Joe Worrall grabbed a 92nd-minute consolation on another forgettable afternoon for the hosts

Winger Anthony Knockaert is sent off in the 95th minute after being introduced at the interval

Forest thought they’d equalised when Anthony Knockaert, on loan from Brentford’s local rivals Fulham, swept home after Cyrus Christie’s cross, but a very late linesman’s flag cut short celebrations.

Lyle Taylor went down in the box having got beyond Mads Sorensen but penalty appeals were dismissed. By then though a Forest leveller looked inevitable.

But, as is Forest’s lot right now, Brentford broke downfield and Josh Dasilva curled home after being allowed to step infield from the right.

And Forest reverted to type when their defenders and Samba misjudged Vitaly Janelt’s looping ball over the top, allowing Ivan Toney to score and move clear as the division’s leading goalscorer with 15.

Knockaert’s departure for simulation compounds the sixth loss of a seven-match winless run

Boss Chris Hughton remains optimistic but Forest are level on points with third-bottom Derby

Joe Worrall headed home a stoppage time consolation for Forest that was 20 minutes too late to be useful and Knockaert received a second yellow for diving before the end just to compound another miserable afternoon.

‘In the second half we struggled,’ admitted Bees boss Thomas Frank. ‘Forest did well but we showed a top mentality, hard work and a unique togetherness to hang in there.

‘It’s a big win for us because Forest are way better than they are in the table.’

Forest can only hope the table is lying.