Nottingham Forest extend winning run as Gibbs-White returns to haunt Wolves

Just as Wolves had started to dream of a brighter future under Vítor Pereira, it was the ghosts of the past that haunted Molineux as their former head coach Nuno Espírito Santo and academy product Morgan Gibbs-White snatched the points to send Nottingham Forest level with second-placed Arsenal.

Wolves were unbeaten under Pereira and the superior side for much of the match but as they saw chances come and go, while portraying Gibbs-White as a pantomime villain, it seemed inevitable what the outcome would be. Nuno took Wolves into Europe and is plotting the same trick with Forest after a sixth victory in a row, sealed by goals from Gibbs-White, Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi.

Gibbs-White spent 14 years at Molineux as man and boy but left in the summer of 2022 to be the creative spark to Steve Cooper’s Forest. He was instrumental in keeping his new club up twice and is now leading the charge at the top of the table with his guile and skill. Over 68 league appearances for the Wolves first team, Gibbs-White scored once. The £25m fee, plus add-ons, was originally seen as extortionate but he is proving the doubters and Wolves wrong.

From the first minute, whenever Gibbs-White touched the ball, he was widely booed by the home supporters, who also targeted the playmaker with unsavoury chants. Gibbs-White took retribution and was helped by the absence of a Wolves midfield, as he dribbled the ball 50 yards up the pitch before exchanging passes with Anthony Elanga and slotting into the bottom corner, something that must have impressed the new England head coach, Thomas Tuchel, in the stands.

The ire of the Wolves fans increased but they were drowned out by the away end, not that Gibbs-White could hear either with the fingers in his ears in front of the home supporters.

“I think it means a lot,” Nuno said of Gibbs-White’s goal. “Every time that he scores, it’s important, because we need him and his talent. Being here at Wolves has a different feeling on it. I know that he’s forever thankful to Wolves, so his career continues. It was not the first time that he returned to Molineux, but we needed him to score.”

That was only seven minutes in and many might have expected Forest to dominate from this point – they are in the Champions League places for a reason. It was Wolves, however, who looked the most threatening for the remainder of the first half. Murillo cleared a point-blank finish from Jørgen Strand Larsen off the line and Matz Sels was called into action to deny the Norwegian striker for a second time, then soon after Rodrigo Gomes.

There was plenty of verve within the Wolves ranks, despite numerous absentees, but there was no finish and they could not find a deserved leveller. They have improved immeasurably under Pereira, who arrived with two wins and a draw from his opening three games, but they were missing the clinical nature and exuberant talent of Matheus Cunha who was absent through suspension.

“We had chances to equalise but we missed, they scored the second goal and it was very tough for us,” Pereira said. “I am proud of them, they tried everything. I can’t say to anyone they didn’t run. They tried their best.”

Forest are happy to give up possession and play on the break. After Elanga helped create the first, Callum Hudson-Odoi must have felt compelled to do likewise as he outpaced a sea of gold down the left and burst in the box, allowing him to find Wood, who had manoeuvred himself into space to make diverting his 12th goal of the season a simple task just before the half-time whistle.

Wolves continued to enjoy the majority of the ball but without threatening to penetrate. Nuno adapted to the situation, stemmed the flow of attacks and removed the aerial threat of Strand Larsen. Morato was sent on to become a third centre-back in a back five, while Gibbs-White dropped into a deeper central midfield role to help Forest wrestle control back.

The cold in the air was reflected on the pitch in the closing stages as the tempo dropped and Forest added a third on yet another break, finished by Awoniyi, to ensure they started January with a crucial victory in what could be an incredibly exciting year. Nuno, however, is remaining calm: “At the end of the season, I will take a look at the Premier League table.”