Sean Dyche praised his side’s “resolute” defending after Nottingham Forest claimed a shock 2-0 victory over Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The result handed Forest a significant boost in their fight for Premier League survival, with goals either side of the break from Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi sealing a hard-earned win.

Sunday's victory also moved Dyche’s side level on points with Leeds United and, vitally, five points clear of 18th-placed West Ham, who beat Sunderland on Saturday to close the gap to two.

Brentford created a number of openings but were punished for their wastefulness, with Igor Thiago and Dango Ouattara among those who spurned presentable chances.

"We have to work with players in different competitions, and I was pleased with today," Dyche told Sky Sports.

"We defended resolutely in the second half and it’s seven points from three games now.

"We know what a good outfit Brentford are and obviously it was a bit nervy sometimes but we found our moments.

"Coming out of a tough spell, which can happen in the Premier League, we’ve got a couple of clean sheets, so I’m pleased."

Forest are now unbeaten in their last three Premier League matches (W2 D1), while Dyche further extended his strong record against Brentford.

He has now won five of his seven league meetings with the Bees (D1 L1), and his 71%-win rate against them remains the highest of any opposition side that he has faced more than twice in the top-flight.

Brentford, meanwhile, controlled much of the contest by the numbers but lacked a cutting edge in the final third, leaving Keith Andrews’ side to rue a host of missed opportunities, as they got just one of their 10 attempts on target.

The defeat means the Bees have now lost back-to-back matches and suffered their first Premier League home loss in eight outings (W5 D2).

"We started the game well, conceded a goal we shouldn’t have done, and then lost our way for 15 or 20 minutes,” Andrews told BBC Match of the Day.

"After that we controlled the game until a transitional moment which brought their second goal.

"We weren’t clinical enough. We’ve done enough on the creation front, whether it’s set-pieces or crosses, but not taken them.

"If we're being self-critical, then we need to look at ourselves for how we conceded the goals. The reality is they have had two shots and come away with three points."