Nottingham Forest 1-3 Newcastle: Second-half goals from Alexander Isak, Joelinton and Harvey Barnes secure comeback win
Newcastle handed Nottingham Forest just their second loss in the Premier League this season, stunning them with a strong second-half performance that resulted in a 3-1 win at the City Ground.
Forest sought their fourth consecutive victory in the top league for the first time since 1995, and they went into halftime with the lead. Murillo netted his first-ever goal in professional football, putting the home team ahead. The center-back managed to get away from Alexander Isak during an Anthony Elanga free-kick, heading the ball past Nick Pope in the 21st minute.
For the tenth time in 11 matches, Forest managed to take the lead, but this time they couldn't maintain it as Newcastle mounted a determined comeback in the second half.
Isak made up for his earlier mistake during Forest's first goal by being the first to react to a loose ball after a corner, slotting it in to score the equalizer in the 54th minute. Then, Joelinton capped off the comeback with a fantastic strike, curling his left-footed shot beautifully into the net off the post in the 72nd minute.
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Anthony Gordon had to leave the game due to an injury, but his substitute, Harvey Barnes, made an immediate impact by scoring just three minutes after entering the match. He managed to sneak a shot through Nikola Milenkovic's legs, finding the net past Matz Sels at his near post in the 83rd minute.
This outcome puts Newcastle in eighth place in the standings, while Forest stays in third, just before the next match of Super Sunday featuring Chelsea and Arsenal.
Nottingham Forest: Sels (6), Aina (7), Milenkovic (6), Murillo (8), Moreno (6), Yates (6), Dominguez (6), Elanga (7), Gibbs-White (6), Hudson-Odoi (6), Wood (6).
Substitutions: Anderson (5), Awoniyi (n/a), Ward-Prowse (n/a), Jota Silva (5), Sosa (6).
Brentford: Pope (7), Livramento (7), Schar (6), Burn (6), Hal (7), Longstaff (6), Guimaraes (7), Willock (8), Gordon (6), Isak (7), Joelinton (9).
Substitutes: Tonali (6), Barnes (7), Osula (not applicable).
Man of the Match: Joelinton (Newcastle)
How Newcastle Extinguished The Forest Fire
Following a stretch of five matches without a victory, Newcastle has now secured three consecutive wins. Under Eddie Howe's leadership this season, the team has demonstrated its determination and strength.
This season, they have managed to win two out of five Premier League away matches where they gave up the first goal. This is the same number of victories they achieved after going down 1-0 on the road during the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons combined.
Forest lamented their disappointing second-half display, while their coach Nuno Espirito Santo faced the typical manager of the month jinx following his victory in the October awards.
The day began positively for the home team when Murillo scored the opening goal. The central defender, who is set to join the Brazilian national team after earning his first call-up, managed to get in front of his defender during Elanga's free kick and headed the ball into the net, leaving Pope with no chance to stop it.
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Newcastle reacted well and quickly sought to equalize, with Bruno Guimaraes forcing Sels to make a difficult save. The Belgian goalkeeper had to step up once more to deny Dan Burn's close-range attempt at the far post.
As halftime neared, Forest found themselves struggling, and Newcastle believed they should have been awarded a penalty when Elanga made contact with Joe Willock from behind.
Newcastle began the second half strong once more, with Guimaraes almost scoring a spectacular goal using the outside of his boot, but it went just over the crossbar. However, Newcastle's control of the game left them vulnerable to counterattacks from Forest. Nicolas Dominguez almost doubled the score when he broke away from Chris Wood's pass, but Pope made a vital save with his legs.
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Moments later, Newcastle managed to equalize. Gordon's corner kick found Isak, who took advantage of the opportunity and scored from just a few feet away. The match became more dynamic, and as Nottingham Forest launched another counterattack, Burn narrowly avoided being shown a second yellow card for bringing down Jota Silva.
Isak fired a volley that narrowly missed the target before Newcastle took the lead with a counterattack of their own. Isak passed the ball to Joelinton, who found himself with ample room to finesse his shot into the far corner from the edge of the box.
In the 83rd minute, they sealed the victory with another goal, as Barnes found the net from a close-range shot at the near post.
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Barnes Deserves A Starting Spot: An Analysis
Jamie Redknapp from Sky Sports:
In the first goal, Isak makes it seem effortless. He simply responds perfectly, using the side of his foot to steer the ball into the corner of the net. While it appears to be a straightforward opportunity, many players might swing wildly at it or potentially send it over the crossbar. However, he remains composed and executes the finish with great confidence.
Nottingham Forest was striving to catch up in the match, and Barnes' goal was a beautiful example of skillful play. It's a common sight in football when players move inward towards the center. The defender shifts his body to block the shot, but Barnes manages to slip the ball through his legs and into the near post.
"Great shot! He’s a talented player. Right now, it’s tough for him because of how well Anthony Gordon is playing, but with his skills, he definitely deserves to be in the starting lineup regularly. I'm a huge supporter of him."
Sky Sports' Paul Merson discusses Joelinton's goal:
In my opinion, Livramento's run is key to this play. He makes an impressive dash that draws the defender away, creating an easy opportunity. While the finish is excellent, it's really his movement that opens up the chance.
"Covering that distance of 60 to 70 yards for the overlap pulls the full-back away, creating a chance as the player approaches. There's no way he can halt the momentum. He effortlessly cuts inside and then strikes with his left foot, delivering an incredible finish."
