Nottingham Forest continue revival with win over Malmo | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest extended their unbeaten run to five in all competitions with a commanding 3-0 victory over Swedish side Malmo on Thursday evening.

Goals from Ryan Yates, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Nikola Milenkovic rounded off a joyful night on the River Trent, as Forest climbed nine spots to 16th in the Europa League standings.

To celebrate their first encounter with the Swedish side since the 1979 European Cup final, when Trevor Francis’ header delivered Forest their first European crown, legends from both sides were welcomed pitchside as tifos swept across the City Ground.

With the chaotic December schedule around the corner, Sean Dyche made seven changes to the side that had made a statement at Anfield with a 3-0 win over Liverpool.

Zach Abbott slotted in at right-back as one of five academy prospects in the matchday squad, while John Victor, Morato, Ryan Yates, James McAtee, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Arnaud Kalimuendo made up the rest of the changes.

Forest started brightly, with Murillo sliding Kalimuendo through on goal, but the 23-year-old dragged his effort wide of the bottom-right corner.

With the mood already buoyant, it felt fitting that captain Yates, who joined Forest’s academy at the age of eight, met Milenkovic’s cut-back and drilled a superb finish into the back of the net to break the deadlock.

Kalimuendo was unlucky not to double the hosts’ advantage, with his effort saved by Malmo’s Melker Ellborg, who made a fine diving stop to deny the Frenchman his first Forest goal.

Ellborg produced an even better stop five minutes later to prevent Yates from scoring his second on the night, but Kalimuendo reacted quickest to the rebound – this time steering home his first goal for the club.

Forest maintained complete control following the interval. Milenkovic added a third on the cusp of the hour mark, pouncing on the deflection from Yates’ volley and calmly slotting the ball home.

With the hosts comfortably on course for three valuable points, Dyche bestowed his trust in the youth available on the bench, handing 19-year-old James Sinclair his professional debut in the closing 10 minutes.

The Reds now turn their attention back to the Premier League, aiming to climb further up the table and carry this momentum into Sunday’s clash with Brighton at the City Ground.