A 1-0 win over Manchester City will go down in Nottingham Forest history as the moment the Reds’ European dream became a realistic prospect, a result testament to their swift counterattacking and tactical superiority. George Edwards was at the match
When Evangelos Marinakis stood in Old Market Square following Nottingham Forest’s promotion in 2022 and exclaimed, “We will write our own history”, few would have foreseen how quickly his sentiment would become a reality.
Success has been a synonymous part of Forest’s illustrious history, competing with and overcoming some of the best sides in English football history along the way, whether it be Bob Paisley’s Liverpool or Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City resemble the modern equivalent, bar Bournemouth, the only current Premier League side Forest hadn’t beaten since promotion. Step forward this current Forest side, resilient, well-drilled and with quality in abundance, producing a moment and a memory that will be forever carved into Forest history should this season culminate in the way it almost seems destined to.
Thunderous celebration and uncontainable delight engulfed the City Ground with seven minutes to play; Callum Hudson-Odoi, as he was for that renowned moment at Anfield, the man of the moment once again.
The goal was a masterpiece in how to play the Forest way. Morgan Gibbs-White’s freedom to create saw him play a delightful cross-field ball the winger, his confidence to play off gut instinct coming to Forest’s aid once again.
The touch, the ball control and the amble into the box set Hudson-Odoi up for his juncture beautifully, a moment he looked completely in control of. As he blasted the ball into Ederson’s near post and danced away in delirium, the European dream became one step closer, this a moment that will undoubtedly be cited as one of the season’s highs.
These are moments in time Forest fans have been starved of over the past 25 years, but now ones that just keep on coming, and show no sign of stopping any time soon.
An impeccably disciplined and committed 82 minutes came before that moment, Forest going toe-to-toe and taking on City, doing so with such calmness. Facing off against the top sides just brings the best out of Nottingham Forest as a football club; the players in fine form matched with their supporters being vocally behind them every step of the way, treasuring how much their football club has progressed in such a small window of time.
As they had to in these games, fixtures against the elite had been a slog over the past two seasons, Forest’s defensive durability and the odd slice of luck seeing them get over the line, leaving everything out there on the field.
It’s all change this season. The Reds are at a standard to play their own game and experiment whilst keeping their opponents at bay, looking comfortable with how the game was panning out for most of the 90. Nerves, of course, set in as the game drew to a close, but Forest’s control was sheer, and they never looked like conceding once they edged ahead.
While the side was the same, Nuno’s tactical adjustments from the Arsenal game to this were spot on again, seeing Nico Dominguez operate in the channels and rather daring pivot of Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson working to a tee. Clearly rehearsed, the system was performed with seeming ease, every player comfortable in their role and adapting effortlessly throughout the game to substitutions and to nurse the win home.
Every player was immense, but Dominguez deserves a special plaudit, playing in three positions depending on if the Reds were in or out of possession and their position on the pitch. He helped Ola Aina shut down Jeremy Doku while leading the press and cutting out City’s midfield options, a performance vital amidst recent criticisms and one that displays the real depth Forest have in midfield.
It was a game where Forest’s positive mentality set them apart. The energy generated by the players and felt by the entire league has been opposite to the feeling of underachievement distinct in that City side — if one team was going to press for the victory and believe it was possible, it was always going to be Forest.
After conceding five to Bournemouth and four to Newcastle, there was real trepidation ahead of two home fixtures against Arsenal and City. It seemed Forest might had been found out defensively and looked a class below.
However, since half time at Newcastle, the Reds (in the Premier League) haven’t conceded, relinquishing just four shots on target. That’s less than one shot on target conceded per half, whilst having eight on target of their own.
And it’s not like Forest have faced favourable fixtures either. They have shut out three of the best attacking teams in the league, doing so with the same organisation and spirit on display for much of the season, coupled with moments in front of goal themselves.
City was the ninth consecutive game that Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo and Neco Williams have started together, through tough times and good, working with Matz Sels behind them to earn a 12th clean sheet of the season. Amongst those are shutouts against City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham — Forest schooling the league’s best in the art of defence.
They have answered every question and overcome every challenge. Could they bounce back from those heavy away defeats? Yes. Could they sustain their success playing without possession? Yes. Could they hold their own against a team with winning in their DNA and take one giant step towards Champions League football? A resounding yes.
Their feared fortress has contributed to their winnings no end. Forest have only lost twice in the league on home soil this term, unbeaten in seven and netting 15 goals in that run. Nottingham is their safe space, the place they strut their stuff the best and where their sense of belonging gives them the upper hand over any opponent.
Ten games until the season’s end and Forest are in the perfect position. They have points on the board and are showing no signs of faltering, with only Chelsea and Aston Villa to come from the top half.
Mull of Kintyre will forever be Forest’s anthem, with another belting rendition pre-match to set this fact in stone. But the City Ground may just be gearing up to blare out another famous anthem in its own right as the promise of European football continues to be tantalisingly close.
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