Arnaud Kalimuendo scored his first Nottingham Forest goal in a comfortable 3-0 Europa League home win over Malmo as the club’s revival under Sean Dyche continued.
Forest followed up Saturday’s impressive 3-0 success at reigning Premier League champions Liverpool with another convincing win to make it three consecutive victories in all competitions. The result also boosted Forest’s hopes of qualifying for the Europa League knockout stages; they climbed to 16th in the group table and were just two points off the top eight.
Team news
– Sean Dyche made seven changes from Saturday’s win at Liverpool, with Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic, Ibrahim Sangare and Nicolas Dominguez the only players to keep their places.
– Teenage defender Zach Abbott was handed his first start of the season, while Morgan Gibbs-White was absent from the matchday squad.
The fixture was a nostalgic rerun of the 1979 European Cup final in Munich, when Brian Clough’s side beat Malmo 1-0. Members of that Forest side were presented at the City Ground before kick-off. Ryan Yates opened the scoring with a 27th-minute sweeping first-time strike, a fitting moment amid the tributes.
Summer signing Kalimuendo, 23, who joined from Rennes for around £25m, finally opened his account on his 10th appearance. He was alert to finish from close range in the 44th minute after Yates’ header was superbly saved by Malmo goalkeeper Melker Ellborg. Yates, delighted for the striker, joked to TNT Sports: “I’m gutted because I should’ve scored my second!” He added praise for Kalimuendo’s unselfish runs and hard work.
Yates was involved again in the 59th-minute third: his volley from a corner fell to Nikola Milenkovic, who smashed home for his first goal of the season. Forest, now on a five-game unbeaten run, closed out the match comfortably and turn their attention to Sunday’s Premier League home game against Brighton.
Sean Dyche, speaking to TNT Sports, expressed growing confidence about progressing in the Europa League. He said the team had delivered a strong performance and that backing up the high-profile Liverpool win with another good result was important. On the clean sheet and overall display he said: “Very pleased. I thought defensively we were excellent and they didn’t really lay a glove on us… the back five – the goalkeeper and the back four did a very good job. And it sets the tone for the performance.”
Opta facts
– Nottingham Forest recorded their biggest margin of victory in a major European game since beating Grasshopper Club Zurich 4-1 in March 1979.
– Forest have won three consecutive games in all competitions after having won just two of their first 15 matches this season (D5 L8).
– After victories against Leeds (3-1), Liverpool (3-0) and Malmo (3-0), Forest have scored 3+ goals in three consecutive games in all competitions for the first time since February 2015, and as a top-flight side for the first time since April 1995.
– For just the second time in his managerial career, Sean Dyche has overseen a side scoring 3+ goals in three consecutive games, the previous occurrence being with Burnley in January 2016.
Fixtures ahead
Forest will next face Brighton in the Premier League at the City Ground on Sunday.