Chris Wood scored twice as Nottingham Forest won an East Midlands derby over Leicester City 3-1 at the King Power Stadium on Friday.
Wood’s seven goals are second in the Premier League to Erling Haaland, and the Kiwi was joined on the score sheet by Forest captain Ryan Yates. Elliot Anderson registered an assist.
WATCH LEICESTER vs NOTTINGHAM FOREST FULL REPLAY
Jamie Vardy’s 140th Premier League goal was Leicester’s only goal, as the Foxes’ mixed-up defending could not give Steve Cooper a winning reunion with the club that sacked him last year. And it could’ve been worse were it not for Leicester backstop Mads Hermansen.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Tricky Trees move into fifth place on 16 points, nine places and seven points ahead of their Friday hosts.
Enter the Nuno-ssaince
The season is 2018-19 and Nuno Espirito Santo leads a Midlands club to a seventh-place Premier League finish and Europa League play thanks to fine-finishing center forward, a gritty midfield, and a rotating cast of creative, too-speedy wingers. Could he do it again? That season’s Wolves team scored 47 goals but it was Raul Jimenez more often than not providing the finishes. Chris Wood is no Jimenez, who piled up assists, too, and there are no names quite as big as Rui Patricio, Ruben Neves, or Joao Moutinho, but there’s a similar feel to this Forest side, who got the win today without known entities Morgan Gibbs-White and James Ward-Prowse. Diogo Jota and Adama Traore were the wide threats then, and now it’s Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and friends. It will be a mighty haul for Forest to reach Europe for Nuno this go-round, but a top-half finish is not out of the question.
Leicester vs Nottingham Forest player ratings
(from fotmob.com)
Leicester vs Nottingham Forest player ratings (from fotmob.com)
Leicester vs Nottingham Forest player ratings (from fotmob.com)
What’s next?
Leicester start a three-match road swing with a League Cup tie at Manchester United on Wednesday, then go to Ipswich Town at 11am ET Saturday before visiting Man Utd in the Premier League on Nov. 10.
Forest have a pair of Premier League home games next, with West Ham visiting the City Ground at 11am Saturday before Newcastle come to town on Nov. 10.
How to watch Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Friday
Venue: King Power Stadium
TV Channel: USA Network
Streaming: Stream online via NBC.com
Leicester vs Nottingham Forest final score: 1-3
Ryan Yates 16'; Jamie Vardy 23'; Chris Wood 47', 61'
Leicester vs Nottingham Forest live updates — By Nick Mendola
Full-time
Up the Forest, we guess! The Tricky Trees are fifth!
Subs
Leicester removes Wilfred Ndidi for Boubakary Soumare, minutes after Forest plugged Neco Williams and Morato into the match for Anderson and Alex Moreno.
Wood again! Leicester 1-3 Forest (61st minute)
Oh, Leicester, what are you doing?
Matz Sels fires an 80-yard prayer up the field and it’s between Foxes center backs Wout Faes and Caleb Okoli.
Faes merely heads into onto the path of on-charging Wood, who beats Hermansen.
Forest should be up 3-1
Hudson-Odoi curls a pretty attempt off the far post, Anderson drills his low look at the rebound wide of goal.
Chris Wood goal! Leicester 1-2 Nottingham Forest (47th minute)
He’s done it again! Wood has his sixth Premier League goal of the season and 75th of his career.
Caleb Okoli is on Wood’s back, but somehow the big Kiwi turns a rip a shot just outside the outline of the Italian center back’s ankle.
It’s beyond the reach of Hermansen, and Forest are back in front!
Halftime — Leicester City 1-1 Nottingham Forest
This has been a fun Friday start to the Premier League weekend.
Leicester have held over 61% of the ball, but Forest have shaded xG and taken nine shots to Leicester’s seven.
Another good stop from the Leicester keeper
Callum Hudson-Odoi drives across the heart of the Leicester third.
He finds room a bit outside the arc and tears into a shot.
Hermansen leaps to his left to make a two-handed parry and keep it 1-1 in the 37th minute.
Terrific save from Hermansen
The ball bounds around in the Leicester box, falling on the right for Nicolas Dominguez.
He’s 1v1 with the goalkeeper and a whole net of options.
Dominguez takes a good-angled shot for the far corner, but Mads Hermansen jabs his right leg into the path of it to make a tremendous stop.
Jamie Vardy goal! Leicester 1-1 Forest (23rd minute)
He’s at it again. The 37-year-old forward has bagged another Premier League goal.
Stephy Mavididi sends Harry Winks into the box, and the ex-Spurs midfielder crosses the ball about eight yards out from goal.
Vardy gets between Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic to turn the cross past Matz Sels and we’re level!
Ryan Yates goal! Leicester 0-1 Nottingham Forest (16th minute)
Well, our first update is a goal!
Elliot Anderson’s shot from the left side of the box is blocked into traffic and Leicester back James Justin gets almost nothing on his clearing attempt.
Ryan Yates is well-positioned atop the 18 to have a go, and the Nottingham-born midfielder cruises a right footed shot inside the far post.
Leicester City lineup
Hermansen, Ricardo, Okoli, Faes, Justin, Winks, Ndidi, Buonanotte, Fatawu, Mavididi, Vardy
Nottingham Forest lineup
Sels, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno, Yates, Dominguez, Anderson, Hudson-Odoi, Elanga, Wood
Leicester City focus, team news
Jamie Vardy continues to score in the Premier League, his 139 all-time goals 15th in history and five away from 14th-place Robin van Persie. Young Ghanaian forward Abdul Fatawu, 20, was the star of Week 8 and can certainly set-up Vardy and others.
OUT: Patson Daka (ankle), Jakub Stolarczyk (ankle), Hamza Choudhury (shoulder), Jannik Vestergaard (ankle)
Nottingham Forest focus, team news
Chris Wood’s five goals this Premier League season are bettered by only three players as of post time: Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer, and Bryan Mbeumo. The big Kiwi has a lot of weapons surrounding him and can be a handful for Leicester.
OUT: Danilo (ankle), Ibrahim Sangare (undisclosed) | QUESTIONABLE: Morgan Gibbs-White (ankle)
Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest prediction
Can the Foxes deliver Cooper a memorable win? Even with Forest’s revolving roster door, the boss should have a good idea how to best break down his former club. But Espirito Santo has Forest looking solid at the back and impressive up front. Can Leicester do a job in the midfield? Leicester 1-1 Forest.
