Gibbs-White sparks win over Porto to give Nottingham Forest and Sean Dyche liftoff
Three days in the job, two training sessions and, most significantly, one victory. Sean Dyche succeeded where Ange Postecoglou had failed so miserably, winning at the first time of asking to get Nottingham Forest’s Europa League campaign truly up and running. “Forest are back,” rejoiced the home support, who chanted the name of their third head coach of the season en route to handing Porto their first defeat of the season. Cue the victory-lap fireworks dazzling above Trent Bridge.
Perhaps most remarkably, this was also Forest’s first clean sheet since April. It all must have made pretty satisfying viewing for the owner, Evangelos Marinakis, applauding the goals from his seat in the directors’ box and last seen scarpering from the stadium midway through Postecoglou’s final game. Even the VAR gods were on Dyche’s side, both Forest goals stemming from interventions, with Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus scoring a penalty in each half.