Sean Dyche began his Nottingham Forest tenure on a winning note as his side secured a 2-0 win over Porto in the Europa League on Thursday night, courtesy of penalties from Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus.
The win marked Forest’s first win since their Premier League opening-day success in August and Dyche’s debut victory just two days after replacing the sacked Ange Postecoglou, who himself had lasted only 39 days in charge following Nuno Espirito Santo’s exit.
Though the City Ground atmosphere was charged, Dyche’s trademark structure and discipline were evident.
Gibbs-White opened the scoring in the 19th minute from the penalty spot after Jan Bednarek was penalised for handball.
Composed performance seals the points
Forest looked more compact and purposeful, with Callum Hudson-Odoi forcing a save from Porto keeper Diogo Costa, while Matz Sels denied Alan Varela’s long-range strike at the other end.
Jesus doubled the lead 13 minutes from time, converting from the spot after a VAR review overturned a simulation booking against Nicolo Savona.
The result handed Porto their first defeat of the season after winning 10 of their previous 11 matches, with Bednarek’s second-half goal ruled out for offside.
Palace suffer away defeat
Elsewhere, Crystal Palace endured a disappointing night as they fell 2-0 to AEK Larnaca in Cyprus, extending their winless run in Europe.
