Arnaud Karimendo scored his first goal for Nottingham Forest in a comfortable 3-0 home win over Malmö in the Europa League as the club’s resurgence under manager Sean Dyche continued.
Forest followed up their impressive 3-0 success against reigning Premier League champions Liverpool on Saturday with another goal-scoring win, making it their third successive win in all competitions.
With the win against Sweden, Forest moved up to 16th place in the table, two points from the top eight, and hopes of advancing to the Europa League finals were high.
Forest’s match against Malmö was also special, as it was a replay of the 1979 European Cup final in Munich, where Brian Clough’s side won 1-0 on one of the most famous nights in the club’s history.
Forest’s squad was announced at the City Ground before kick-off, so it was fitting that one of the club’s modern-day heroes, Ryan Yates, took the lead with a stunning opening goal in the 27th minute.
Summer signing Karim Endo is tipped to be a future star for Forest, with the 23-year-old finally opening his account in just his 10th appearance after joining from Rennes in a deal worth around £25m.
The Frenchman looked to finish from close range in the 44th minute after Yates’ header was brilliantly saved by Malmo goalkeeper Melker Elborg, but the Forest captain was delighted with the striker.
He joked to TNT Sports: “I’m disappointed because I should have scored the second goal!”
Ryan Yates celebrates his opening goal during Forest’s 3-0 win over Malmo
“No, to be honest, we’re really excited about him. The hard work he puts in for the team, the unselfish drive he puts in.
“There are a lot of unsung heroes on this team, and he’s definitely one of them, and he deserves it.”
Yates was also involved in Forest’s third goal in the 59th minute, his first goal of the season when his volley from a corner hit Nikola Milenkovic, but he smashed it home.
Currently on a five-game unbeaten run, Forest head home with their eyes set on Sunday’s Premier League home game against Brighton, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Sunday, November 30th 12:30pm
Kickoff 2:05pm
Dyche delighted to back Liverpool’s impressive win
Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche told TNT Sports of his confidence in advancing to the knockout stages:
“Well, things are certainly looking up.
“I think we had a strong performance against Sturm (Graz). We didn’t get the goals we needed, but it was a very strong performance.
“It’s good to be back here, especially after Liverpool’s much-talked-about win, but to back that up with that performance and win, that’s the most important thing for me. I hope we always keep that mentality, especially the crowd and the fan base, that we’re here because they’re rooting for us, and keep that consistency in our performances.”
“It takes care of itself, you take care of each match, and it takes care of itself.”
Nottingham Forest’s Nikola Milenkovic (left) celebrates after scoring the third goal with Yates
On the win: “Very happy. Our defense was great and they didn’t really put the glove on us, but that was a credit to the back five. The goalkeeper and the back four did a very good job, and that set the tone for the performance. They started a little slow, but they came into camp. It could be difficult to break through.”
“But overall I’m really happy with the players and the mentality of the team tonight was very clear. We’re going to need that going forward.”
Photos of a nostalgic night at the City Ground…
Banner celebrating Trevor Francis’ winner in the 1979 European Cup Final.
A banner featuring former Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough (left) and his assistant Peter Taylor, who led the club to the 1979 European Cup victory.
Former Nottingham Forest and Malmö player before kick-off in the 1979 European Cup final
Opta facts: Forest’s biggest European win in 46 years
Nottingham Forest recorded their largest margin of victory in a major European match since beating Grasshopper Club Zurich 4-1 in the European Cup in March 1979. Nottingham Forest have won three straight games in all competitions and have only won two of their first 15 games this season (D5 L8). Nottingham Forest scored after wins against Leeds (3-1), Liverpool (3-0) and tonight’s Malmo (3-0). They have scored three or more goals in three consecutive games in all competitions since February 2015 (the first four games under coach Dougie Friedman), and the first time for a top team since April 1995 (four consecutive games under coach Frank Clark). This is only the second time in Sean Dyche’s managerial career that one side has scored three or more goals in three consecutive games, the last time being when he was in charge of Burnley in January. 2016.
