Chris Wood, Steve Cooper and that away-winning feeling: four talking points from Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 win at Leicester City as the Reds moved up to fifth in the Premier League. George Edwards was at the match
Two years ago, Nottingham Forest were 4-0 down on a miserable night at the King Power Stadium, yet their supporters still treated it like a party, vocally displaying their unwavering support for the men in red.
Fast forward two years and history repeated itself, only this time celebration was certainly in order — 3-1 up and steadfastly cruising to victory. Back in 2022 it was the hope that ensured the spark never flickered out; now it’s the reality.
The reality is that Forest are not just not here to make up the numbers anymore. They are here to impose, create and dominate, rightly receiving constant support and affection from the buoyant away end.
Chris Wood merited that praise in abundance, with his brace, and Ryan Yates’ opening strike eclipsed Jamie Vardy’s first-half equaliser, as Forest thrashed Leicester 3-1. Here’s four talking points following that memorable night.
Chris Wood is truly on fire
As the ball hung up in the air, drifting towards the final third in the 60th minute, Chris Wood knew exactly what was next.
The odds were against him, two towering defenders and goalkeeper Mads Hermansen favourite, but you could see in the striker’s eyes that he would be the one to connect, no matter how it came about.
Sneakily swaggering between Leicester’s staggering backline or minutes before sumptuously swivelling to slam into the bottom corner, two goals that tell the full story in an instant.
We know this Forest team is on cloud nine, but no one perhaps more than the New Zealand international — those are two top draw finishes for starkly contrasting reasons.
His first showed his killer instinct to lash home when the far corner looked completely unreachable, with exceptional precision and quality to pull that one off. His second showed his ice-cold nature and his ability to score all types of goals; the deft nod over Hermansen a work of art.
Something both goals displayed was his untouchable confidence at the moment. Just think back to his barren spells when the fans were on his back and he looked starved of confidence —there’s no way he shoots from that position, and would likely have picked the safe ball out to Anthony Elanga on the right.
Wood now sits behind only Erling Haaland in the Premier League golden boot race and has scored his 19th goal since Nuno Espírito Santo took charge, with goals in each of his last five for club and country.
Right now, it’s Chris Wood’s world, and we’re just living in it, and there’s no sign of it stopping anytime soon.
A captain’s duty
Ryan Yates is the epitome of everything you would want in a captain.
Whenever the play took him towards the away end in the second half he turned conductor, psyching up the visiting support who themselves didn’t need any geeing up in the first place. It was crystal clear that if Yates wasn’t on that pitch he’d be in the stands, loving every second of it.
Leicester played more football than many were expecting, especially in the first half with 61% possession. That was something that suited Yates perfectly, intercepting, mopping up and being the general thorn in the opposition’s side that he always is.
It’s right, then, that a Nottingham lad put Forest one-up in the supposed East Midlands derby with a sumptuous strike to open his account for the season. He should have had another in the second half as he somehow blazed over from two yards out, but you can’t have everything.
Whenever he’s dropped, criticised or targeted it only makes him stronger. His spirit is one that has fed the whole squad with intent and passion, and it epitomises everything good about Nottingham Forest at the moment.
Squad depth proved its worth
While Yates and Wood have been singled out, there could be sections dedicated to the entire team after yesterday.
Callum Hudson-Odoi had by far his most influential game of the season on the left wing, constantly beating his full-back and looking to create as well as score, massively unlucky to see Hermansen and then the post deny him from adding to his goal tally.
Elanga also had impact in a game that contrasted Palace on Monday, in that the wide areas were so integral to Forest’s play. Nicolas Dominguez has slotted in with no fault whatsoever, not bad for Forest’s sixth-choice midfielder. Ramon Sosa and Jota Silva replaced the wide men late on, both having real threatening moments in their short cameo appearances.
Morato and Neco Williams’ late appearances as Forest switched to a back five have become synonymous with their unbeaten away delight this season, yet because of the success, not much is made of it.
This shows that Nuno has the ability to implement whatever changes and plans he pleases and can do so with confidence and trust that his changes won’t downgrade the quality on the pitch in the slightest.
Two wins in the space of five days in the absence of star man Morgan Gibbs-White. It’s hard to think of another period since promotion that Forest would have achieved that.
The Reds were mocked for their recruitment upon promotion, but who’s laughing now?
We’re doing fine now, without you baby
It was always going to be a strange one.
Face-to-face with the ex that you created some cherished memories with and who will always hold a place in your heart. For many, their first love. Now in bed with your playground enemy.
Yet, even if those feelings still flutter, the reality that moving on was for the best and that you’re in a better place, even if the change took some adjusting.
At full time, Steve Cooper did his best to avoid going anywhere near the Forest fans, who were comically relaying their formerly beloved chant, once they had some leeway in the game. The visiting support goaded Cooper with the build up to his once relished fist bumps, and there was a sense that he might just have loved to turn around and jump right back into their arms.
Nuno’s gentlemanly and respectful approach towards Cooper in the week has only added to his current popularity, as has the victory.
It was a game that Forest of the past would have lost. Away from home. A derby match. The added factor of Cooper. Yet, in spite of the perceived worries, Forest got the job done, as they managed the first half before dominating the second.
Away from home, Forest have averaged 1.4 points per game in the Premier League under Nuno, compared to just 0.46 under Cooper. They have six away wins under the Portuguese, triple the tally managed under the Welshman, in 15 games, compared to Cooper’s 28.
While Cooper may have given Forest the foundations, Nuno has built three floors on top and has reinstalled the dare-to-dream attitude that Cooper did three years ago. It was a 3-1 win away at Barnsley that signified that Forest had turned a page in the Championship. While this certainly wasn’t Forest’s first win of the season, this 3-1 away win certainly has the capability to be the catalyst for the next great era in Nottingham Forest history.
Four goals, two wins and 12 hours in fifth place — certainly not bad as week’s work.
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