**Optimism seems to have returned to Nottingham, for now at least, as Sean Dyche’s Forest delivered plenty of excitement and encouraging signs with an impressive 2-0 win over Porto.**
Two goals from the spot, courtesy of Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus, handed them their first win in Europe since 1996.
Back in August, this fixture promised a reunion for Nuno Espirito Santo against his former club. But 56 days and two managers later, all eyes were on Dyche in his first match leading the club where he took his first steps as a professional footballer.
When questioned about his style of football, Dyche stated that his main objective was simply to bring wins to the club, and he did just that.
Callum Hudson-Odoi forced Diogo Costa into an excellent diving stop on the counter, before squandering another promising opportunity moments later in the early stages.
Former Southampton defender Jan Bednarek was then penalised for handball, with referee Radu Petrescu pointing immediately to the spot.
In a period marked by adversity, it felt fitting that as captain, Gibbs-White assumed responsibility himself, in absence of the Reds’ regular penalty taker Chris Wood. Keeping his cool, he calmly rolled the penalty into the bottom-left corner before wheeling away to celebrate with the Forest faithful.
Porto had their moments in the first half but lacked a cutting edge. Alan Varela saw his long-range effort denied by Matz Sels, while Francisco Moura’s header across goal found no one to turn it home just before the interval.
Some things take time to fix, and Forest’s vulnerability to set pieces continued to show in the second half. A short corner caused chaos in the box, allowing Bednarek to pounce and put the ball in the back of the net.
However, unlike just a week ago, the reaction at the City Ground was electric, with the home support roaring to keep the momentum alive. There was an undeniable sense of unity as the supporters rallied behind the team.
Forest were then reprieved when VAR spotted Samu offside in the build-up, ruling out the equaliser.
VAR took centre stage again when the referee was sent to the monitor after Martim Fernandes brought down Nicola Savona in the box, awarding a second penalty to the hosts.
This time, Jesus stepped up and struck it confidently down the middle, sending the Trent End into a frenzy as Forest doubled their lead.
The atmosphere inside surpassed anything seen this season, with Douglas Luiz – who hadn’t played a single minute under Nuno – earning a standing ovation from the fans, while Ryan Yates was given a hero’s reception with five minutes remaining.
The Forest fans kept singing through six minutes of injury time as the team secured a valuable three points, moving up to 17th in the Europa League table.
However, Dyche knows the focus must return to Premier League action, as Forest look to climb out of the slump they’ve found themselves in, starting with an away trip to the south coast on Sunday to face Bournemouth.