Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo admits his side are “struggling” as their Champions League hopes suffered a big blow with a 2-0 defeat to Brentford.

Forest have looked a strong bet to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition after a brilliant season and they could have moved up to third in the Premier League with a win.

But they faltered as goals from Kevin Schade and Yoane Wissa inflicted a damaging loss, which leaves them sixth.

Coming four days after an FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City, there is a real sense that Forest’s season is faltering at the worst possible time as this was their third league defeat in four games.

When asked whether his side were feeling the pressure, the Portuguese said: “We don’t see it but we feel it.

“The explanation for that we have to find in ourselves. But I don’t see (pressure), I see belief, desire and commitment.

“But the reality is we are struggling in some aspects of our game – focus and determination to be practical and solve the situations that are simple to solve.

“(To get back to ourselves) is the basic option we have. We don’t have to change, we have to go back and find our version.

“We have been clear and spoken many times about how we play. Our basic is being compact and solid, we don’t give away chances.

“We are a team that always covers, so our opponents have to do much more to achieve what they achieved today. With all respects to Brentford, it was too easy.

“We have been talking about how we are as a team and defensively we don’t allow too many situations.

“We have had a lot of clean sheets. This is the basic pillar we have, but today it was the other way around.

“We credit Brentford, but I believe with a better approach we could have solved the situations.”

Brentford were worthy victors, stretching their unbeaten run to four games and they still have European ambitions of their own, sitting two points off eighth, which could be enough to secure Europa Conference League action.

“I think we were in a position where there’s three teams above us that we need to finish above. So that’s a challenge,” boss Thomas Frank said.

“There’s four games left, we have a chance of finishing eighth, which would be the best position in the club’s history in the Premier League.

“So that’ll be a fantastic achievement, but it depends the perfect run-in and it demands that we do what we’ve done so well over the last four years – laser-like focus on the next game.

“Some of them are playing the best football of their careers.”