Nottingham Forest began their Premier League campaign with a 1-1 draw at home to Bournemouth, on a day when the Reds lost Danilo to serious injury.
Forest had the better of the first half, but Bournemouth dominated the second 45 minutes, and their equaliser was definitely merited.
The Reds will now move on to Southampton next week, hoping to win all three points for the first time this season.
There were some positives to the performance, and despite what some Forest fans may believe, it’s not all bad news.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s job is to establish more consistency in his team’s performance levels, and the players must develop that deadly instinct in front of goal.
Chris Sutton, who was watching from the City Ground, pointed out one of the advantages.
Chris Sutton impressed by Nottingham Forest player versus Bournemouth.
Chris Wood, the talismanic centre-forward, was the player Sutton wanted to admire.
The 32-year-old continued where he left off in 2023/24, scoring his first Premier League goal.
Wood was on hand to score after goalkeeper Neto deflected a poor Ryan Yates shot into his path.
Sutton told BBC Sport: “He is a natural finisher, Wood. On the move already, anticipating the goalie to make a mess of it, which is a fantastic start for Forest.”
Last season, Wood scored 14 Premier League goals and 15 in all competitions, finishing first in the Forest goalscoring charts.
Wood has the Forest Premier League record in his sights.
Following a goal-laden season last season, Wood has suddenly put himself in position to be Forest’s all-time leading goalscorer.
Wood is only nine short of the record, and another clinical season might see him stand alone at the top of the charts.
Bryan Roy holds the Premier League record for the Reds with 24 goals, and Wood is only eight away from equaling it.
The striker may not be everyone’s cup of tea as a centre-forward, but on his day, he knows where the goal is and is a valuable element in the Forest dressing room.
Forest are looking for a new striker, but whomever comes in will have to work incredibly hard to make the team ahead of Wood.
