In their unremarkable 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest displayed every attribute of a successful Sean Dyche team, with Omari Hutchinson and Igor Jesus the stars of the show. George Edwards was at the match
Sometimes in football, the result is all that counts.
Nottingham Forest didn’t beat Wolverhampton Wanderers the easy way or the pretty way. They did so the effective way, biding their time in front of goal and largely nullifying the host’s threat, following Wolves’ positive display in defeat at Villa Park on Sunday.
The first 1-0 win of the Sean Dyche era, most certainly not to be the last, epitomised everything — good and bad — associated with one of his sides. We were told the eight games Ange Postecoglou was given wasn’t enough time to embed his principles, but nine games into Dyche’s reign, Forest reflect their new manager’s principles and mannerisms astutely.
The game wasn’t pretty and won’t live long in the memory — just four shots on target for both teams across the 90 minutes and very little quality on display. Forest often lacked the impetus to drive through the middle, Elliot Anderson and Ibrahim Sangaré operating deep and taking the ball out wide, somewhere the hosts always had bodies.
In Forest’s last away game, that historic win at Anfield, the whole team put in a 9/10 performance, making achieving victory look so effortless. A chilly visit away to bottom of the league doesn’t quite whet the appetite like a tasty Saturday kick-off against the wilting champions of England, and in those stagnant and uninspiring moments, you need individuals to come forward.
Step forward Omari Hutchinson and Igor Jesus, Forest’s two shining lights combining to win them the game on a night they both shone.
Starting his first league game in the Garibaldi, Hutchinson didn’t have the space or service that he has had in his previous positive cameos from the bench and could have gone missing, but he made sure his presence was felt and impactful.
His set-piece delivery just got better and better, setting up Jesus in the first half for Forest’s disallowed goal, consistently delivering with precision and perfection. Hutchinson frequently looked the most likely to make something happen, never shirking away from the physical side of the game against 6ft left-back David Moller Wolfe.
In the 72nd minute his direct play paid off, nicking a yard of space and hurling a gorgeous flighted ball onto the head of Jesus, who obliged in a crowded penalty area to nod the Reds ahead.
Both Hutchinson and Jesus weren’t meant to be first choice. They were selected due to injury or poor form in their respective positions but have grasped that chance with both arms and are doing everything in their power to make their positions in the starting eleven look set in stone.
With Dan Ndoye and Callum Hudson-Odoi frustratingly struggling for form and consistency, Forest’s record signing looks set to flourish in a Sean Dyche setup that favours getting the ball wide and into the box, a clear strength of the 22-year-old.
And with those balls being delivered on a sixpence, Chris Wood as Forest’s number nine is a mouthwatering thought. In his absence, Jesus isn’t an out-and-out number nine and struggled initially with the pace and physicality of the Premier League, as most foreign players understandably do.
However, Jesus looks alive and thirsty, grappling for every long ball sent his way, constantly on the move to create space and make runs of his own and finding a way to be a nuisance in the air and in the six-yard box. Wood’s pending return to fitness will only be a welcome one, but having two attacking options who look so suited to how Forest play gives the manager a welcome headache as the games come thick and fast, with rotation vital to maintaining standards.
Jesus’ goal was celebrated with such relief by the travelling 3,000 in the Steve Bull Stand. They had all seen the grafting performances he’d been putting in, and it just felt like a goal could see him fly, and when his first-half goal was ruled out, you just wondered if it would ever happen for him.
That’s now six goals in 10 starts for the Reds, a very healthy return for a newcomer who is slowly becoming another Brazilian fan favourite.
That’s the importance of the goal, but winning the game was only made possible by Forest’s stellar defensive display.
Standing in for Murillo once again, Morato’s calming performance was reassuring, playing to his strengths and not messing around with the ball in key areas. Together with Nikola Milenkovic, they killed Wolves’ threat dead, only relinquishing four shots from inside the box all game.
It’s easy to look past the negatives after any victory, but on the night it really was all about getting the three points.
It’s still the same Forest team that thrashed Liverpool in their backyard so comfortably. Not every performance has to be memorable, but it must be effective, and the gritty manner in which the Reds can churn out results is testament to their manager, Forest morphing into the finished Sean Dyche article with every point gained.
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