Nottingham Forest 0-1 Coventry City ended a wait that started in 2001. Coventry won a Premier League game for the first time in 25 years, and they did it at the City Ground with a goal from Jay Dasilva and a big VAR call going their way late on.
Key moments
It was a cagey first half with a lot of shots and no goals. Sky Sports counted 20 in total, 14 of them from Forest. That is the most in a Premier League first half without a goal since Brentford against Liverpool in January 2025.
Coventry broke through in the 55th minute. Dasilva controlled goalkeeper Carl Rushworth’s long kick with a first touch that took him clear, then finished past Matz Sels.
Forest thought they had levelled late on when Igor Jesus scored. The referee gave it, then went to the monitor after a VAR check, and ruled out the goal for a foul on Caleb Yirenkyi in the build-up. Frank Lampard said the decision was right: “he has that little step on him which puts him off balance.”
Coventry also had to survive Jesus once more. Bobby Thomas made a goal-line clearance in the 76th minute to keep the score at 1-0.
What it means
Coventry had lost their first four league games and had not scored in any of them, so this goal is their first of the season in the Premier League. They now have 3 points from five games and sit 18th, off the bottom but still inside the bottom three. They are level on points with Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, with Tottenham on 2 and Fulham on 1 below them.
Forest are 12th on 5 points, two clear of Coventry. The concern is at home. They are winless at the City Ground in all competitions this season and have won one league game there since December. Twenty first-half shots and no goal is a striking number, and it points to a finishing problem rather than a lack of chances.
Looking ahead
Forest travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday 11 October. Coventry host Newcastle United on Monday 12 October.
One win does not change a season, and Coventry’s goal difference of -9 shows how far they have to go. But after five games and 25 years, the first one is on the board.
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