Alderete’s set-piece header stuns Forest as Sunderland ride out the storm

Ange Postecoglou’s first home game as Nottingham Forest head coach ended in a bruising 1-0 defeat as Sunderland, newly returned to the Premier League, survived a second-half barrage to depart the City Ground with all three points. Omar Alderete’s first-half header from a Granit Xhaka free-kick proved decisive, nudging the visitors into the top four and stretching Postecoglou’s wait for a first win to five matches.

The goal arrived amid controversy after Nicolas Dominguez was penalised for simulation in a 50/50 with Trai Hume, a decision that left Forest aggrieved. Yet despite controlling long spells and creating a raft of chances, Forest ran into a superb young goalkeeper in Robin Roefs, while their own profligacy compounded the frustration as boos greeted the final whistle.

The flashpoint and the finish

The decisive moment came when Dominguez cleared outside his box and then hit the turf after contact with Hume. Referee Tony Harrington adjudged the Forest midfielder to have simulated, brandishing a yellow card and awarding Sunderland a free-kick. Xhaka floated the delivery and, with Chris Wood momentarily switched off, Alderete stole around the back to plant a header into the net — Sunderland’s first away goal of the season and a statement from the Paraguayan summer signing, recruited from Getafe for £10m.

Postecoglou’s irritation at the award did not mask his insistence on accountability. “Regardless, even if the ref’s made an absolute howler, we can still defend the free-kick better,” he said afterwards, encapsulating a day when one lapse under the dead ball undid an otherwise controlled Forest performance.

Dominance without end product

Forest’s control was clear: 65% possession, 90% pass accuracy and 22 attempts. Before the interval Dan Ndoye’s deflected strike flew just wide and Wood twice headed off target, including from inviting Neco Williams crosses. Elliot Anderson then curled narrowly over as the hosts pushed for parity.

After the break, Postecoglou introduced Morgan Gibbs-White at half-time, later adding Callum Hudson-Odoi and Igor Jesus to crank up the pressure. Roefs repelled a rasping Omari Hutchinson drive and a long-range Anderson effort, and produced a brilliant near-post save when Hutchinson teed up Wood. The striker later glanced wide with the goal begging — a miss that symbolised Forest’s afternoon.

Red-and-white resolve: Roefs and Xhaka embody the plan

If Forest’s wastefulness told one story, Sunderland’s organisation told another. Roefs’ handling was immaculate under a wave of crosses and his reflexes superb when Forest fired low and hard. Having taken the lead, the visitors dug in with discipline — an archetypal top-flight away display that delivered their first Premier League away win since 2017.

Xhaka, meanwhile, underlined his influence with a dominant midfield showing and the match-winning delivery. “Nottingham Forest were the better team today, but it’s not about who is better — it’s about who scores,” he said, adding that set-pieces are a major training focus. Head coach Regis Le Bris praised the collective suffering out of possession while noting room to improve when building under pressure.

Reactions and ramifications

Postecoglou accepted the home crowd’s anger — “Fans have every right to be disappointed,” he said — and pointed again to conversion as the missing piece. Forest, down to 16th with one win from six, have shown more fluency under their new coach but remain short of the clinical edge required to turn dominance into results.

For promoted Sunderland, this third win of the campaign lifted them to third place and validated their resilience on a taxing afternoon. The mood music could hardly have been more different at full-time, with away supporters celebrating at length. Next up, Forest host FC Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday, while Sunderland head to Manchester United on Saturday.