Former Town loanee Chris Wood’s penalty four minutes after half-time was enough to give Nottingham Forest a 1-0 victory at the City Ground, where the Blues remain without a win in 25 years. After a first half in which both sides had efforts cleared off the line and the Blues had the other outstanding opportunity, Sammie Szmodics was controversially adjudged to have fouled Jota Silva by referee Tony Harrington, a decision VAR upheld, and Wood netted confidently from the spot.
Town made one change from the team which drew 1-1 at home to Manchester United last Sunday with Conor Chaplin coming into the XI for Wes Burns, who dropped to the bench.
Chaplin returned to his familiar number 10 role with Omari Hutchinson moving to right wing.
Kalvin Phillips, Ben Johnson and Jacob Greaves, who have all had knocks recently, were once again absent from the 20-man squad, while Nathan Broadhead was back on the bench after his groin issue.
Forest made five changes from the team which lost 3-0 at Arsenal last week with eight-goal top scorer Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson, Neco Williams and Jota Silva, making his first Premier League start, coming in for Taiwo Awoniyi, Alex Moreno, James Ward-Prowse, Nicolas Dominguez and Anthony Elanga, who were all among the subs.
The home side won a corner within the opening minute from which some of their fans on the far side thought they had gone in front. Gibbs-White rose high at the near post but sent the ball powerfully wide.
Town threatened for the first time on four when Liam Delap brought the ball through players to the edge of the box before hitting a shot which deflected off Murillo and looped wide for a corner.
From the flag-kick, Dara O’Shea seemed to get away with his man just beyond the near post but was unable to make contact. Forest broke quickly and Axel Tuanzebe was booked for bringing down Jota.
Following the free-kick, Forest went very close to going in front. The ball was lofted to Callum Hudson-Odoi in space on the left of the area. One-time Tricky Trees loanee Aro Muric did well to close down the England international, who was forced to bring the ball across inside and his shot ricocheted out to skipper Ryan Yates on the edge of the box, from where his low strike was destined to find the corner of the net until Szmodics turned it behind from just in front of the line.
On 14, Cameron Burgess lost possession midway inside the Town half and Forest broke towards goal. However, captain Sam Morsy was able to stick in a vital toe to avert what could have been a very dangerous situation.
Town, who had looked a threat from all their previous four corners, almost went in front from their fifth in the 24th minute. O’Shea and Burgess both rose higher than their Forest markers and the Australian international guided a header to towards the corner but Ola Aina was able to clear off the line at the post.
The game was usually open for the Premier League and on 26 Jota flicked a header across the face of goal from a Williams cross.
Two minutes later, Gibbs-White struck a low effort from distance which Muric saved with comfort down to his right.
Just before the half hour mark, O’Shea was booked for a foul on Anderson to the left of the penalty box. Muric confidently caught the whipped in cross from the set piece.
Moments later, there was a break in play when Chaplin went to ground to require treatment, almost certainly for tactical reasons with the entire Town team going to the touchline for instruction.
On 33, the Blues should have gone in front. Delap did well to work space in the middle just outside the box and then feed Hutchinson on the right of the area. The former Chelsea man’s right-footed low shot was palmed out by Matz Sels and Chaplin looked set to slam the rebound home until Delap took it away from him as he sought to turn and shoot but failed to get it under control.
The frustation was written clear on Chaplin’s face with the former Portsmouth and Barnsley forward still to score a Premier League goal.
Two minutes later, with play continuing to fluctuate from one end to the other, Williams hit a free-kick from the right past the post.
As half-time approached, with the Blues getting stronger, Gibbs-White was booked for having a kick at Morsy having fouled the Egyptian international, who made his displeasure known to the ex-Wolves midfielder.
Moments before the fourth official’s board indicated two additional minutes, Anderson and Morsy collided as the Forest man looked to get onto a return pass with Forest claiming a deliberate bodycheck from the Town skipper, while the Blues’ players saw Anderson as having run straight into Morsy. The truth was probably somewhere between the two.
It was Town attacking as the whistle went with Kieran McKenna’s side once again having grown into a first half after the opposition had taken the earlier initiative.
Forest’s best chance was Yates’s early effort, which was cleared off the line by Szmodics, while Burgess similarly had a goal-bound header knocked away from goal by Aina with Town having looked dangerous from set pieces throughout.
Going off, Town will feel they should have been in front with Chaplin having looked odds-on to score had Delap not taken the rebound from Hutchinson’s shot away from him.
It had been an open half with chances and plenty of set pieces at both ends and either side could make an argument that they would have deserved to have been ahead at the break.
Two minutes after the restart, Forest were awarded a penalty. After Chaplin had misplaced a pass on the right as the Blues sought to play out from the back, Jota bundled his way into the box and threw himself to the ground as he went past Szmodics. Referee Harrington pointed straight to the spot.
Szmodics indicated that Jota had dived - and clearly the Portuguese had made a lot of the challenge - but VAR decided there had been sufficient contact and the decision stood.
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Wood took the kick and slammed it down the middle and into the roof of the net to give his side the lead and take his Premier League tally for the season to nine, six in his last six top flight starts.
Soon after the game got back under way, Jota was on the floor again, this time as he went past Cajuste, who was booked despite appearing to have made no contact with the winger.
Forest almost made it 2-0 in the 54th minute from a right-sided corner. Jota sent it back into the danger zone from the left and Murillo powered a header which Muric superbly tipped onto the bar. The keeper was then able to palm it away from his line and O’Shea looked to clear, Wood fouling him as he did so, although the New Zealand international claimed he was the one who had been fouled.
Town were living dangerously and in the 59th minute the home side went close from another set piece. A corner from the left was nodded across goal by Yates and Burgess did well to nod it out of play.
Within a minute, Gibbs-White scuffed an effort through to Muric from the edge of the area.
On 64, the Blues made their first change of the afternoon, Jack Clarke replacing Szmodics out on the left.
The winger’s first involvement was to lose the ball in the promising area from which Forest broke. Eventually the ball was played across the box but too far in front of Wood, Cajuste stabbing it away from the New Zealander, who went to ground claiming a penalty. Referee Harrington gave a goal-kick, while VAR decided there was no penalty.
In the 69th minute, Davis played a ball in from the left to Clarke in space not too far outside the area but the wideman, who played for Forest boss Nuno at Tottenham, shot too close to Sels. Three minutes later, the home team swapped Anderson for Dominguez.
And on 74, the Blues made a double change, the tiring Cajuste and Chaplin making way for Jack Taylor and Burns.
Four minutes later Forest made a triple change, Williams, Gibbs-White and Jota going off for Morato, Moreno and Elanga, then on 79 Town swapped Tuanzebe, who had picked up a knock, and Hutchinson for Harry Clarke and Nathan Broadhead, making his first appearance of the season and first for the club in the Premier League following one game in the top flight for Everton.
The game lost its impetus somewhat with all the substitutions but once it got back up and running it was Town who dominated for a spell and camped around the Forest area with Burgess moving up front to join the attack. However, the Blues were unable to create a serious effort, the Australian international heading a cross from the left tamely to Sels. On 88 Forest switched Hudson-Odoi for Ramon Sosa.
The home fans raised the volume briefly after an additional seven minutes was announced.
Forest looked more likely to score their second than Town an equaliser in injury time with Yates seeing an effort deflected wide with a minute left on the clock.
Keeper Muric went up for a late Blues corner but Sels was able to claim the final ball into the box and Town’s long wait for a win at the City Ground continues, George Burley’s team having recorded the last win here in December 1999 when Matt Holland’s goal saw them to a 1-0 victory, 15 visits ago.
At half-time, the Blues were well-placed in the game having grown into the first half but the early second-half penalty - which was very debatable - changed the momentum of the match and the mood around the stadium.
Aside from a late spell following the substitutions, Town never really got back on top and rarely threatened to get back on terms.
The loss ends a three-game run without a defeat with the Blues down a place to 19th following Crystal Palace’s 1-1 home draw with Newcastle, Daniel Muñoz levelling four minutes into injury time. The Eagles are at Portman Road on Tuesday ahead of another game at Portman Road next Sunday, against AFC Bournemouth.
Forest: Sels, Murillo, Williams (Morato 78), Anderson (Dominguez 72), Gibbs-White (Moreno 78), Wood, Hudson-Odoi (Sosa 88), Jota (Elanga 78), Yates (c), Milenkovic, Aina. Unused: Miguel, Awoniyi, Toffolo, Ward-Prowse.
Town: Muric, Tuanzebe (H Clarke 79), O’Shea, Burgess, Davis, Morsy (c), Cajuste (Taylor 74), Hutchinson (Broadhead 79), Chaplin (Burns 74), Szmodics (J Clarke 64), Delap. Unused: Walton, Townsend, Luongo, Al-Hamadi. Referee: Tony Harrington (Cleveland). VAR: Matt Donohue. Att: 30,237.