The captain of Nottingham Forest Morgan Gibbs-White led the way as Nuno Espirito Santo’s team claimed their sixth win of the Premier League season against their former team Wolves, putting them joint second in the league with Arsenal.
Chris Wood’s 12th goal of the season kept Wolves at bay in the first half, as the Nuno Espirito Santo bandwagon continued to roll on.
Gibbs-White, who had come through the ranks at Wolves before joining Forest for a hefty sum of £25 million two and a half years ago, was not well received by the Molineux faithful. They made their disapproval known by booing him and even resorting to offensive chants about his partner. However, Gibbs-White did not let this affect him and instead responded with a perfect goal.
He took off on a run from inside his own half, unchallenged, before passing to Anthony Elanga on the right. Elanga then found Gibbs-White again, and he made no mistake in converting for a simple yet effective goal. The midfielder did not shy away from celebrating the moment, provoking the Wolves fans by placing a finger in each ear.
Although Nuno had fond memories of his four successful years at Molineux, his welcome is starting to wear thin with supporters. This was his third visit to the club since leaving in 2021, and it resulted in his third win, adding to the two league and cup wins he recorded with Tottenham.
When asked if Forest could be title contenders, Nuno denied any such claims. While clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal are immediately seen as potential challengers to Liverpool, Forest are flying under the radar, and Nuno prefers it that way. This was the first time in 58 years that Forest had won six consecutive top-flight games, and with this form, a return to Europe could be on the cards. However, the Portuguese coach is not entertaining any talk of such achievements for a club that has been fighting relegation in the past two seasons.
Wolves were missing the suspended Matheus Cunha, and new boss Vitor Pereira made five changes after his unbeaten start to the season. Despite this being his first defeat since taking over from Gary O’Neil, there were positives to take from the attack, if not the defense.
This week, Wolves are expected to welcome a new face to the club, with a £16.6 million deal agreed with Reims for Ivory Coast centre back Emmanuel Agbadou, who is set to complete his move to Molineux.
Wolves responded well to Gibbs-White’s goal and almost equalized twice in quick succession. However, Murillo cleared Jorgen Strand Larsen’s close-range effort off the line, and Forest keeper Matz Sels made a superb save from Rodrigo Gomes’ powerful shot. Larsen continued to pose a threat, but Sels was the man who kept Wolves at bay. Pereira’s men had a lucky escape when a potential handball by Rayan Ait-Nouri in the box was not given as a penalty after a VAR review.
However, Forest extended their lead just before half-time, as Wood scored his second goal in two games, exposing Wolves’ defensive vulnerabilities once again. The Kiwi striker has now scored against Wolves for three different clubs – Burnley, Newcastle, and Forest. Larsen continued to trouble the Wolves defense, and Sels had to make another great save to keep his team in the lead.
However, in the second half, Forest’s focus was on stifling any hopes of a Wolves comeback. Nuno’s side remained in control, although it was not the most spectacular performance. It was than Taiwo Awoniyi who sealed the win in the dying seconds.
