Nottingham Forest

Sean Dyche spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Nottingham Forest's victory against Wolves: "These games are really tough. They're [Wolves] fighting for their lives and everyone is waiting for the one they win. They kept going and throwing things at us. I'm pleased with our mentality. You saw the way we dug it out, they threw a lot at us second half and we dealt with it well."

On 'relief' for Igor Jesus scoring: "Not relief, they want rewards for their work and he worked hard and stayed strong. He kept his eye on the ball, brilliant cross in and he takes a couple of steps and it's brave. Tonight it was his night because it's a big win for us."

On VAR decision: "He [Dan Ndoye] doesn't move, he's just standing there - where do you want him to stand? I don't think the keeper saves it whether he sees it or not but it's gone against us. I don't see the point of it. All the people looking in the VAR studio I don't know why they have to send the referee to the screen.

"I like VAR it's valid in the game. It gives more balance. It's not good for the fans but sometimes as a manager your professional life depends on it. I'm bound to say tonight was wrong because on another night it could've cost us but thankfully it didn't."

On progression since appointment: "We've made some ground up and I'm pleased - they've listened, they've taken it into their games. I thought we played better on Sunday but we didn't get the reward, tonight we've had to grind it out and I'm pleased with the clean sheet too."

Listen to Dyche's chat with BBC Radio Nottingham here

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

What did you make of Wolves' display?

Have your say on Nottingham Forest's performance

Come back on Thursday for a selection of your replies

Rob Edwards names an unchanged line up as Wolves look for a first Premier League win.

Wolves were much improved despite losing 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday and Edwards keeps faith with the same team, with Matt Doherty replacing the injured Hugo Bueno on the bench.

Wolves XI: Johnstone, Mosquera, Agbadou, Gomes, Tchatchoua, Andre, Joao Gomes, Bellegarde, Wolfe, Arias, Strand Larsen.

Subs: Sa, Hoever, Doherty, S Bueno, Munetsi, Chirewa, Mane, Hwang, Arokodare.

Record signing Omari Hutchinson makes his full Premier League debut for Nottingham Forest.

The £37.5m winger, signed from Ipswich in the summer, has made eight substitute appearances in the top flight this season with his only start coming in the Carabao Cup.

He replaces Nicolas Dominguez, who drops to the bench following Sunday's 2-0 defeat by Brighton.

Nottingham Forest XI: Sels, Savona, Morato, Milenkovic, Savona, Sangare, Anderson, Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Ndoye, Jesus.

Subs: Victor, Cunha, Boly, Abbott, Hudson-Odoi, Yates, McAtee, Kalimuendo, Dominguez

There are six games in the Premier League on Wednesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Arsenal v Brentford

• Brighton v Aston Villa

• Burnley v Crystal Palace

• Wolves v Nottingham Forest

• Leeds v Chelsea (20:15)

• Liverpool v Sunderland (20:15)

Kick-off times 19:30 GMT unless stated

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Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

At Christmas, Rob Edwards is hoping Morgan Gibbs-White will be Wolves' pantomime villain.

England international Gibbs-White returns to Molineux with Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.

Gibbs-White has received abuse from Wolves fans since his 2022 move to the City Ground but responded to score in Forest's 3-0 win at Molineux last season.

Edwards is looking for any edge and, if Wolves fans turn on Gibbs-White again, Edwards hopes it would galvanise Molineux as they look for a first Premier League win of the season.

"I get it. We'll take it, we'll take anything we can," he smiled, having given Gibbs-White his Under-18s debut at Wolves while a youth coach.

"But we need to do our job. If we do our job well, then the crowd will be with us and that's the bit we can try and concentrate on.

"If we we can build on what we saw on Sunday then I'm pretty sure the crowd will be with us."

Wolves are nine points from the safety line as they search for their first top flight win since April.

Edwards has overseen improved performances in his two games, despite defeats to Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, but they remain winless in their 13 top flight games.

"We owe it to ourselves and to everyone connected to the football club to leave it all out there and give everything every day, no matter what situation we're in," he said.

"That is always my message from minute one to 98 or whatever it is. We leave it all out there whether we're 2-0 up or 2-0 down. We have to keep fighting right until the end. We've shown that so far in the two games and we've just got to continue to do that.

"We've got to keep that belief."

Henry Cowling
BBC Sport journalist

Wolves will continue their search for a first league win of the season when they host Nottingham Forest in a fixture they lost 3-0 last season.

Wolves fell to a sixth straight Premier League defeat away at Aston Villa on Sunday and are now winless in 17 top-flight matches, while Forest's run of five games unbeaten in all competitions came to an end with a 2-0 home defeat by Brighton.

Bad omens

The unwanted records keep piling up for Wolves, and a tally of two points from their 13 games means they have the second-fewest number of points at this stage of the season in Premier League history.

To further contextualise their struggles, the 2007-08 Derby County side who finished on a record-low 11 points had six at this stage of the season - four more than Wolves.

New boss Rob Edwards felt his side's encouraging performance against Villa on Sunday "was a step in the right direction". Nonetheless, they are nine points from safety and eight adrift of 19th-placed Burnley at the start of the midweek round of fixtures - it is the biggest gap at the bottom in the top flight since three points for a win was introduced in 1981.

Hutchinson's time?

Forest boast a wealth of options in wide areas after compensating for the exit of Anthony Elanga to Newcastle by signing Dan Ndoye from Bologna, Dilane Bakwa from Strasbourg and Omari Hutchinson from Ipswich, the latter for a club-record fee.

Hutchinson was omitted from Forest's Europa League squad and he is yet to make a Premier League start for the club.

However, that is surely likely to change soon after a string of positive performances from the bench. Hutchinson caught the eye in Forest's first league win under Sean Dyche when they beat Leeds 3-1 at the City Ground in November, assisting Morgan Gibbs-White for the second goal and winning the penalty from which Elliot Anderson converted the third.

Despite that performance, Dyche opted to stick with the industrious Nicolas Dominguez on the left-hand side at Anfield against Liverpool. That decision is difficult to question, given his side's 3-0 dismantling of the champions, but Hutchinson again staked his claim for more minutes with a positive showing - topped off with his involvement in the third goal when Alisson parried his effort to Gibbs-White who scored.

Perhaps Sunday's 2-0 defeat by Brighton is the watershed moment in Hutchinson starting games for Forest, with the side much improved when both he and Callum Hudson-Odoi were introduced for Ndoye and Dominguez at half-time.

In the wake of that performance, Dyche said of selection: "It's close calls now. We want that, a group that's producing, there's a really good competitive element in the squad. Everyone is competing for a shirt."

Wolves actually played all right against Aston Villa on Sunday but they still lost again.

There are six months of the season left to play but, let's face it, they've had it.

They still only have two points from their first 13 games, and there is no way Rob Edwards can rescue them from here.

They could bring in Pep Guardiola, Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho - three of the great Premier League managers - and they still wouldn't keep them up.

Wolves do have something to play for, though. I didn't think any team could be as bad as Robbie Savage's Derby County side that went down with a record Premier League low of 11 points in 2007-08, so beating that total is maybe their only aim now.

Nottingham Forest's defeat by Brighton on Sunday was a bit of a sickener for Sean Dyche, because he had made such a good start there.

His team should be too streetwise for Wolves, though.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say

Pat Riddell
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

The controversy early in the season was not that Omari Hutchinson was our record signing at £37.5m. It was that he was left out of the Europa League squad.

Given the number of players vying for a place, his relative inexperience and not forgetting the fact that he can be added after the league phase draws to a close in January, it was in reality just one of a few things that were hard to fathom at Nottingham Forest in September.

A lot has changed since then, to say the least. Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou have both departed, results have picked up and opportunities have started to come for Hutchinson.

Yet to make a league start for the Reds, but with eight appearances as a substitute, the 22-year-old has impressed off the bench - bringing energy, the ability to beat his man and send in dangerous crosses, and often the only bright spark in some lacklustre games.

After a 30-minute cameo against Leeds, where he assisted a goal and won a penalty, manager Sean Dyche made encouraging noises about the former Ipswich player: "I told him he has got time and he has to keep doing what he has been doing - train well, work hard, look after yourself and enjoy it."

Dyche will have acknowledged the impact the winger had against Brighton on Sunday - even if he could not affect the result - and, despite the competition for places in the forward positions, everybody can see he is very much knocking on the door of the first XI.

Given that Hutchinson will not be starting in the Europa League for at least a few months, then his performances mean he should be looking at a league start for Forest sooner rather than later. Maybe even on Wednesday at Wolves?

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external

Nottingham Forest are keeping an eye on Inter Milan's Stefan de Vrij, with the 33-year-old Netherlands defender out of contract at the Italian club in the summer. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Premier League game against Wolves at Molineux (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Dyche reported "better news" as regards Forest's injured players, with several "getting closer" to fitness, although a number remain unavailable for Wednesday's game.

• Murillo, who missed Sunday's loss to Brighton, and Morgan Gibbs-White, who went off with a "knock", are expected to be fit to face Wolves.

• Reflecting on Sunday's defeat, Forest's first since 26 October, Dyche said: "I don't think there's been a dip in momentum in the sense of performance. Obviously you want wins but sometimes there needs to be a marker within a game if it goes against you and that is the performance."

• Dyche was pleased with his side's response after a slow start, pinpointing certain attacking metrics in which Forest posted good numbers, and added: "It's a tough one to take in the sense of the result, but the performance showed a lot of key markers which, over a season, will pay you back."

• On Omari Hutchinson's display as a substitute against Brighton and the winger pushing for more regular action: "He's looking sharp and looking like he's getting what we're trying to achieve as a group. His job is to play well and he's certainly doing that. [If you] affect games, that puts doubt in our mind and that maybe changes the team situation. That's every player, not just him. We want competitive players all over the place, all vying for a shirt."

• On bottom club Wolves, who are yet to win in the Premier League this season: "They looked strong against Aston Villa [on Sunday]. A new manager [Rob Edwards], the way he's trying to work with them, changing things and getting more out of them - we've got to be ready for that and I think we will be."

• Dyche continued: "Sunday's result aside, there have been some strong performances. We've got to believe in what we're doing and continue with the progress the players are making, because they are definitely making progress since we first got in here."

Recap all of Monday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to more from Dyche on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Nottingham Forest and Brighton.

Here are some of your comments:

Forest fans

Andy: There are no easy games. Two lapses of concentration cost us a point, but fair play to Brighton.

Greg: I'm sorry but Sean Dyche started with a negative line-up and it allowed Brighton to dictate the game. Second-half team changes should have started the match. Omari Hutchinson put them under immediate pressure. We were unlucky not to get an equaliser and the late goal by Brighton just summed up the lack of depth of quality in defence. This is a big problem for the Reds. As soon as Murillo is absent, we look suspect at the back - it needs fixing in the next transfer window.

John: Another yo-yo result from Forest. We'll probably escape relegation only because there are three worse sides.

Tom: Forest played solidly, but it just was not their day. Hopefully Murillo will be back soon but I am confident they can bounce back next game regardless.

Brighton fans

Grumpyman: Excellent performance. We were all over them, especially in the first 20 minutes. Great to see the two signings score and Dunk and Van Hecke were immense when they were pressing and threatening to equalise. So nice to banish that distant 7-0 memory...

Paul: A good, solid performance from the Seagulls. They created some good opportunities in the first half and could have been home and dry by half-time. They knew Forest would come back at them and they defended superbly. Dunk was imperious and Minteh chased and chased. Good to see the young lads De Cuyper and Tzimas notch up some goals. Not concerned about losing Baleba, who hasn't been at the races for the team this season - his head is elsewhere and on higher things.

Chris: Very pleased that there was no hangover from the 7-0 drubbing last year! Well done to the boss for the intelligent set-up and substitutions.

Ray: At last, Brighton win a game they could easily have lost!

Pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

There's a London derby as Chelsea take on Arsenal, Manchester United travel to Crystal Palace, and struggling Wolves make the short journey to Aston Villa. Elsewhere, West Ham entertain Liverpool and Nottingham Forest face Brighton.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Aston Villa 1-0 Wolves

• Nottingham Forest 0-2 Brighton

• West Ham 0-2 Liverpool

• Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest's five-game unbeaten run across all competitions was snapped by Brighton who ran out 2-0 winners in their Premier League meeting at the City Ground on Sunday.

Forest had pulled together an impressive run under Sean Dyche, who took charge when the side were in 18th place in October and had only suffered the lone defeat at Bournemouth which came in his second game.

But the home side were stunned by Brighton who began the game on the front foot and led through Maxim De Cuyper in the dying seconds of the first half.

Forest tried to respond after the break and produced enough chances - in fact, they ended the game with 19 shots - two more than Brighton - but could only get three of them on target.

A Morgan Gibbs-White volley was the closest they got to scoring in the first half while he also saw his effort blocked by his team-mate Ibrahim Sangare just past the hour mark.

Igor Jesus also went close to an equaliser only to be denied by Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen as Forest fell to their first home defeat under Dyche.

The result leaves them in 16th place and only one point behind 18th-placed Leeds United and the Forest boss will hope his players can regroup with games coming thick and fast over the festive period.

They will be back in action against bottom side Wolves at the Molineux on Wednesday before Dyche visits his former club Everton next weekend.

Sean Dyche spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Nottingham Forest's defeat to Brighton: "It's a frustrating one, we started awfully, never got to grips with what we were trying to do. Even the energy, it was flat. After the Lord Mayor's show at Anfield I picked the same side.

"Then after 20 minutes I thought we really started to get a tactical grip on the game, the energy came back, we had a solid first half after 20 minutes. Then we gave away a really soft goal. You've got to manage the game at that moment.

"We don't deliver in a very simple moment, we didn't shift across as a unit at the back and they got a runner through the middle which was dissapointing.

Second half was a good reaction, apart from the mistake it's hard to question the second half performance because it was a very dominant one, we just couldn't find the killer moment."

"You can't wait in this league for someone to give you something it doesn't work like that."

On the impact of players like Omari Hutchinson from the bench: "It's tough on the players, we had such a good result at Liverpool so it's hard to take those players out. It's close calls now, we want that, a group that's producing, there's a really good competitive element in the squad. Everyone is competing for a shirt."

On what he has liked and what needs to improve: "The injury list has not been right since before my time, we need to get them back fit, The edge the players ar playing with, and sharpness, has been pleasing. We have been scoring goals too. But today goes to show you've got to continue with the basics constantly, 95 minute of football, You've got to stay focused on the basics. The first goal, that's a basic team shape error that can't afford to happen.

"There have been some good signs, it would be harsh if they [the fans] had questioned the team after what they've seen [in recent games].

"We were below our minimum level in the first 20 minutes, but we kept a clean sheet during that period that gave us time to get back in the game. I must commend the players for that, they are throwing themselves at it ,throwing bodies and getting in blocks. One we regrouped in the first half it was a solid performance."

Listen to Dyche's chat with BBC Radio Nottingham here

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Forest’s performance

What did you make of Brighton's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche makes one change from the side that defeated Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield last week.

Murillo, who was withdrawn late on in the win against Malmo in the Europa League on Thursday, misses the matchday squad as Morato replaces him. But Morgan Gibbs-White is back in the starting line-up after sitting out the visit of the Swedish side.

Nottingham Forest XI: Sels, Williams, Morato, Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Ndoye, Dominguez, Jesus, Milenkovic, Savona.

Subs: Victor, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo, Hutchinson, Yates, Cunha, McAtee, Boly, Abbott.

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler springs two changes from the side that defeated Brentford 2-1 last week.

Lewis Dunk and Maxim De Cuyper return to the starting 11 as Olivier Boscagli and Carlos Baleba take their places on the bench.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Dunk, Van Hecke, Rutter, Minteh, Welbeck, Kadioglu, Gomez, Ayari, Wieffer, De Cuyper.

Subs: Steele, Gruda, Tzimas, Hinshelwood, Baleba, Kostoulas, Boscagli, Veltman, Coppola.

Watch as BBC East Midlands accompanied Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche to visit a local club for a chat and Q&A between Thursday's Europa League win over Malmo and Sunday's visit of Brighton in the Premier League.

Dyche also reflects on his time in charge of Forest so far as he reached 40 days in the the job - one more than predecessor Ange Postecoglou.

Listen to live commentary of Nottingham Forest v Brighton from 14:05 on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio Sports Extra 2

Listen to all the latest Forest news, interviews and analysis on BBC Sounds

There are five games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Crystal Palace v Manchester United (12:00)

• Aston Villa v Wolves - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Nottingham Forest v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• West Ham v Liverpool - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Chelsea v Arsenal (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:05 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction from the first four games here

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What a phenomenal result for Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche at Anfield last week.

People can talk about Liverpool's lack of form as much as they like, but Forest deserve huge credit there.

This is a tough game to call, though, because I always fancy Brighton to score a goal or two.

The Seagulls have only won once away from home all season, but that just makes me think they are going to get a result.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest go in search of a third consecutive league win when they entertain a Brighton side who lost 7-0 when they visited the City Ground in February. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Sunday's match (14:05 GMT).

Forest on fire in front of goal

Back-to-back victories mean Forest begin the weekend outside the bottom three, with the manner of their 3-0 win at Liverpool suggesting Sean Dyche's side have more than enough quality to steer clear of a relegation fight and achieve mid-table security.

This will be Dyche's fifth Premier League game in charge, equalling the short-lived reign of predecessor Ange Postecoglou. So far, it is an appointment which has delivered a dramatic improvement.

Forest took just one point from the 15 available under Postecoglou, but have already claimed seven from a possible 12 with Dyche at the helm.

Perhaps more surprisingly, goals are flowing freely under the Englishman. The Reds have scored eight times in his four league matches, including three against both Leeds and Liverpool. The last time they won three Premier League games in a row whilst scoring three goals in each victory was 30 years ago.

How resilient Albion learnt from Forest thrashing

Brighton marked Fabian Hurzeler's 50th Premier League game in charge with another come-from-behind victory against Brentford, though the head coach had to watch from the stands because of a suspension.

The 32-year-old will be back in the dugout this weekend at the City Ground, the scene of a 7-0 defeat last season - the Seagulls' heaviest league loss since 1958.

It is to Hurzeler's credit that Brighton responded to that thrashing by winning their next six matches in all competitions, eventually finishing the season strongly in eighth place. The German said this week that while the mauling from Forest was a "terrible defeat", the lessons learned actually helped the club's long-term development.

Resilience certainly appears to be in Albion's DNA right now, with the club having won 10 points from losing positions this term, the highest figure in the top flight prior to the latest round of fixtures.

Danny Welbeck was on target as Brighton recovered from a goal down last weekend, taking his tally to seven in this season's Premier League. The evergreen 35-year-old scored 10 top-flight goals last term, the first time he has reached double figures, but is already well on the way to beating that figure.

Image source, PA Media

Sean Dyche has said Nottingham Forest's improved run of results has been delivered from a base of being "strong, fit and organised" while also allowing his players "freedom to play".

Forest had gone 10 games without a win and had not kept a clean sheet in their first 11 matches of the season when Dyche became the club's third boss of the campaign on 21 October.

Since then, they have won four out of seven matches, shutting out the opposition on four occasions.

At the other end, they have scored three goals in each of their past three games, all of them victories - including a superb 3-0 success against champions Liverpool at Anfeld in their most recent league outing.

Asked about the key principles required to improve a team that has been struggling defensively, Dyche told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Strong, fit and organised - it's a simple, logical viewpoint.

"The late John Duncan [Dyche's former manager when he was a player at Chesterfield] used to say there are only three things that can happen in football; you've got it, they've got it and nobody's got it, and he said if you get your principles around your coaching around those things, you won't go far wrong.

"Strong is different nowadays, it's not strong as in going around crunching into tackles, it's having that real competitive edge. That's certainly been on show since we got here.

"We stepped away from it in the one game where we physically were miles off at Bournemouth, but in all the other games I've been pleased with those guidelines of 'strong, fit and organised'.

"And from that, [giving players] the freedom to go and play. We want players to play with freedom.

"We know we've got talent here and we know we've got players still developing into the Premier League, but we give them a platform to work from. We make it clear, that base we work from, but then allow that freedom to come from that base."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Radio 5 Live's Premier League Kick-Off from 19:00 GMT and on BBC Sounds