Latest Nottingham Forest verdict as Sean Dyche's Reds draw 2-2 with Manchester United at the City Ground
09:02, 02 Nov 2025
Neco Williams, Elliot Anderson and Ryan Yates after Nottingham Forest's draw with Manchester United
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Neco Williams, Elliot Anderson and Ryan Yates after Nottingham Forest's draw with Manchester United(Image: PA)
Turning around Nottingham Forest’s fortunes, Sean Dyche has emphasised, is not a case of simply flicking a switch. It is not that easy.
Much hard work lies ahead, the Reds head coach admitted after his team’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United. Issues that took hold toward the end of last season continue to linger.
Forest remain in the Premier League relegation zone, in need of a win and a clean-sheet. But three games into Dyche’s tenure there are certainly positive signs the club’s campaign can flicker into life.
Elliot Anderson threw his head back as if in exasperation as he applauded the City Ground crowd after the final whistle. It wasn’t the result the hosts wanted - or perhaps felt they deserved - but it was an encouraging one. Below, NottinghamshireLive looks at some of the big talking points from Saturday’s stalemate.
Spirit on show
Another version of this Forest side might have allowed the floodgates to open after falling behind in controversial circumstances in the first half. But Dyche has got them showing heart and spirit - qualities they will need plenty of in their battle to climb the table.
Heads didn’t drop; this didn’t look like a team short on confidence. Instead, they came out fighting after the break and got their rewards courtesy of goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicolo Savona.
It must have been some team-talk from Dyche. So what exactly did he say in the dressing room?
"I said to go and score two, that would be brilliant! And they did,” he quipped. That's how easy management is!”
There was more to it than that, of course. Dyche urged his players to forget about the frustration of an opening goal from a corner they felt should not have been given.
“Joking apart, I just reminded them and said you've got the freedom to go and perform,” Dyche explained. “I said to forget about the decision and the goal.
"Disappointment is for after the game, not while it is active. I told them not to be disappointed and that we have a fresh start and go again. I'm very pleased they did that.”
Double controversy
For the second game running, Dyche found himself having to discuss a controversial goal for the opposition post-match. It was a case of history repeating itself after a similar incident against Bournemouth last weekend.
As on the south coast, the opener came from a corner Forest argued should not have been given. This time around, Savona was the unfortunate victim of the officials’ decision.
The full-back certainly appeared to have kept the ball in play but a corner was awarded. Perhaps inevitably, Casemiro subsequently headed in to put the visitors in front.
The Reds were fuming. Under the rules, VAR cannot intervene in such situations and review the awarding of a corner - even when it leads to a goal.
Dyche called for that to change when he vented his fury afterwards. He called the whole thing ‘farcical’, coming on the back of what happened at Bournemouth.
Former referee Mike Dean had some sympathy. He said on Sky Sports: "The assistant referee can't see, it's just a guess. The ball is nowhere near out!"
To add to the frustration, a penalty shout for handball against Amad Diallo went unpunished. Such decisions sum up Forest’s luck at present.
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Issues to address
As much as Forest were angry over the disputed corner, they still needed to deal with the ball in better. United’s second also came following a flag-kick as a Diallo volley beat Matz Sels.
Tightening things up at the back was a priority for Dyche from day one. He has already made strides on that front as the Reds were generally pretty solid on Saturday.
Nevertheless, the need to address the set-pieces problem grows more urgent by the week. The search for a first shut-out in the league since April continues.
Maintaining a settled defence will be a big help as Forest work on putting that right. Dyche is clearly keen for some stability in that department and stuck with the same back four as he named an unchanged XI Trentside.
Savona looks to have something about him as he finds his feet in English football, while Neco Williams has been the model of consistency on the opposite flank. Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo have not lost the ability to defend, and the latter made a huge block at the death to prevent a late United winner.
For all that, though, not dealing with dead-ball situations is a killer for Dyche’s side. As he pointed out afterwards: "When I spoke to the owner (Evangelos Marinakis) I said we haven't got a magic wand or magic dust. This is a process, which he understands.”
Building blocks
Dyche has not been in the job a fortnight yet but he is clearly setting out what he wants Forest to do. He was pleased to see more crosses into the box against United after lamenting the lack of them - despite instructions to the contrary - against Bournemouth.
Overall, this was a good performance from the hosts. They carried plenty of attacking threat and scored two good goals. They could have had more, but finding the back of the net also remains a work in progress.
This was never going to be a quick-fix but Dyche has made a difference in a short space of time. The Reds looked organised, individually and collectively they played well and they were prepared to battle. There is talent in this squad.
The challenge for Dyche and Forest this week is a return to navigating a midweek European fixture followed by another big home game. Sturm Graz away on Thursday, then Leeds United at the City Ground in the final fixture before the international break.
Having a full training week was a benefit going into the United game and also allowed the manager to stick with the same XI. The likelihood is some rotation will be required in the next two outings. The Reds go into them, though, with a good platform to build upon.
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