Latest Nottingham Forest verdict as Sean Dyche's Reds beat Leeds United 3-1 at the City Ground
16:38, 09 Nov 2025
Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest celebrates scoring his team's second goal against Leeds United
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Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest celebrates scoring his team's second goal against Leeds United(Image: Getty)
As soon as the final whistle had blown, Morgan Gibbs-White was straight onto the City Ground pitch celebrating Nottingham Forest’s win.
That is what it meant to the Reds attacker. He went straight over to fellow goalscorer Elliot Anderson and gave him a hug.
Gibbs-White had celebrated on the touchline, too, when Forest won the penalty from which Anderson made it 3-1 to the hosts in the closing minutes over Leeds United. He rose from the bench and gave a little fist-pump, having been substituted a few minutes earlier - to a standing ovation no less.
If scoring against Porto in Sean Dyche’s first match in charge had, in the 25-year-old’s own words, allowed him to ‘breathe again’ this one was just as much of a relief. It has been a tough start to the season for Gibbs-White and the hope is this will be the game where it has lift-off.
Solving the Gibbs-White riddle was always going to be a key focus for head coach Dyche. The Reds’ talisman has not been at his best, and for Forest to get back on track they really need that to change.
Neither of Dyche’s predecessors, Nuno Espirito Santo or Ange Postecoglou, had been able to spark Gibbs-White into life this term. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man has not been alone in being below par in the Garibaldi, but given his importance to this team his dip in form has been particularly noticeable.
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England manager Thomas Tuchel has seemingly picked up on that, too. He left Forest’s no.10 out of his Three Lions squad for the upcoming international fixtures.
A break and the opportunity to reset might not necessarily be a bad thing for Gibbs-White. He looked fired up early on against Leeds United and appeared keen to prove a point as he forced a save inside the opening two minutes.
Against Sturm Graz in midweek, Gibbs-White looked like a man whose confidence has taken a hit. Previously he had been clinical from the spot for the Reds, but his penalty on Thursday night lacked conviction.
For that to be followed by an omission from the England squad could have left him downhearted. But if there was any disappointment, he didn’t let it show and he responded in the best possible way - scoring and playing his part in an important victory for Dyche’s men. The challenge now is to build on that when the action resumes after the international break.
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