It was not a game for the purists, but Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday could prove to be one of the most memorable victories of a magnificent season for their fans.
Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the all-important goal for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, beating goalkeeper Ederson at his near post with seven minutes of a largely drab contest left to play.
It moved Forest four points clear of City and seven above sixth-placed Newcastle United, with fifth spot likely to be enough to earn them a place in Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since the 1980-81 season.
It has been quite the transformation for Nuno’s team, who finished just six points above the bottom three last term – and 59 behind champions City.
“They are on the verge of something special,” former Forest player and manager Frank Clark – who lifted the European Cup under the legendary Brian Clough in 1979 – told TNT Sports. “It has been a great season.
“Supporters will be dreaming. They have a really good chance to be in Europe next season.”
“The changing room is going crazy,” added goalscorer Hudson-Odoi, whose manager was seen dancing with his players inside the City Ground after the final whistle. “A result like that is amazing for us.
“We know we are getting closer [to the Champions League], and we’re buzzing about that.”
Former Man City defender Micah Richards told BBC Match of the Day: “The structure of the team was really good.
“They had a clear plan and were trying to force Man City wide. Forest were outstanding.”
‘We tried to give them nothing’ – Forest show ‘resilience’
In many ways, this was a trademark win for Forest against the reigning Premier League champions.
It was the 11th game this season they have won without conceding a goal – more than they managed across their last two top-flight seasons combined.
It was also Forest’s 12th clean sheet in the league overall – their most since the 1994-95 campaign, when they clinched a place in the Uefa Cup courtesy of a third-placed finish.
“Forest are a throwback, in a way,” former England defender Rio Ferdinand told TNT Sports. “A lot of teams play the Pep way, where things are manufactured from the back, but Forest go direct to Chris Wood as quickly as they can.”
Nuno’s men offered little as an attacking force in the first half, Wood sending a looping effort into Ederson’s arms for their only effort on target.
However, emboldened by their defensive showing before the break, Forest grew in confidence after the restart and soon began to trouble Pep Guardiola’s side.
They were rewarded for their more adventurous approach when Hudson-Odoi squeezed a shot beyond Ederson to earn the Tricky Trees their first home win over City in 30 years.
Asked by TNT Sports which aspects of Forest’s performance pleased him most, Nuno replied: “The organisation, the resilience. We know how hard it is to play City. We tried to give them nothing, but it is always difficult.
“Now it’s about enjoying the moment. We’re in a good place, the fans are happy and we keep going on this journey.”
From League One underachievers to Champions League hopefuls
A little under 20 years ago, Forest became the first European Cup-winning club to drop into the third tier of a domestic league pyramid.
They spent three seasons in League One before returning to the Championship in 2008-09, but the Reds would finish inside the top 10 just three times in the next 10 seasons as they struggled to return to the promised land of the Premier League.
Managers such as Aitor Karanka, Martin O’Neill, Sabri Lamouchi and Chris Hughton all stepped through the revolving door at the City Ground after Evangelos Marinakis purchased the club in May 2017, Hughton losing his job after gaining only one point from their first seven matches in 2021-22 – their worst start to a campaign in 108 years.
Marinakis’ next appointment – Welshman Steve Cooper – proved transformative.
Cooper guided Forest from the foot of the second tier to their first top-six finish in 11 years, ending the club’s Premier league exile with victory over Huddersfield Town in the 2022 play-off final.
He then managed to keep Forest’s heads above water in 2022-23 on their top-flight return, but was relieved of his duties in December 2023 after a run of five defeats in six games, with Nuno announced as his successor the following day.
After clinching mathematical safety on the final day of last term, Forest have gone from strength to strength under the former Wolves and Tottenham boss.
“The belief the manager has given the players has been amazing,” said Paul Hart, who spent two years with Forest as a player before a spell as manager in the early 2000s. “They are probably everyone’s favourite second team.
“There are still a lot of fans who witnessed the two European Cup wins [in 1979 and 1980]. It has been a long time coming. The fans would absolutely love it.”
Forest stars set for England call?
Given their magnificent form, it would be no surprise to see Forest represented in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad next Thursday.
Hudson-Odoi became the second youngest player to start a competitive match for the Three Lions when he made his full debut aged 18 in March 2019, but the 24-year-old winger has not featured since the last of his three international caps in November 2019.
Gibbs-White – who set up Hudson-Odoi’s winner with a magnificent crossfield pass – earned his first two England caps in the group stage of the Nations League last year, coming on as a substitute in victories over the Republic of Ireland and Greece.
“When Morgan drops a little bit deeper, he has the ability to [play those kinds of passes],” said Nuno. “[The goal] is all about Callum.”
Combative midfielder Elliot Anderson has also enjoyed an outstanding campaign since joining from Newcastle in the summer. Having previously represented Scotland at youth level, the 22-year-old received his first call-up to the England Under-21 squad in August 2024.
Tuchel has reportedly drawn up a shortlist of more than 50 players before Thursday’s announcement, but Hudson-Odoi is firmly focused on club matters.
“We have to stay humble,” he added. “We know the position we’re in, but it’s about driving ourselves. It’s a brilliant day for us.”
‘Nuno will look to add strength and depth’
While Forest fans would love to see their team compete in the Champions League in 2025-26, they will hope qualifying for Europe does not have a negative impact on their Premier League form.
Newcastle struggled to cope with the joint demands of domestic and European football after finishing fourth in 2022-23, while Aston Villa are currently outside the top six after returning to Europe’s elite competition last season.
“I think there’s little doubt that if Forest do qualify for Europe, Nuno will be looking to add strength and depth to his squad to help them try to mitigate that potential danger,” said BBC Radio Nottingham’s Colin Fray.
“More money would be coming into the club – significantly more if Forest were able to hang on to a Champions league spot.
“But the squad would also need significant investment to become strong and deep enough to cope with the extra games.”
