The transformation at Nottingham Forest since that nightmarish evening in Leicester three months ago has been remarkable.
Steve Cooper’s future as head coach appeared in jeopardy after a 4-0 defeat, with his team bottom of the table and their Premier League return proving a painful experience.
That £150 million summer spend, with 22 new players arriving, was branded a miscalculated risk and Cooper was the one left to try to piece it all together.
Yet this victory lifts Forest into 13th place, above Leicester, and they have lost just three times in the league since that October night at the King Power Stadium.
Forest have also managed to secure an eight-match unbeaten run at their City Ground home and, perhaps most importantly, they appear a team. Brennan Johnson’s two goals, the first awarded after a Var review, were enough to continue their upward momentum and that heavy defeat in Leicester feels like a big turning point in their season.
“Before the game I showed a video to the boys of our supporters at 4-0 down at the King Power,” said Cooper. “I said it’s important that we give a bit back on this particular fixture this week. That support meant a lot to me personally, because of the timing of that result and what happened in the week after. I’m always proud of this set of lads, but a local game, league position and points meant there was a lot of context to it. We knew it could be a real positive if we won.”
While Forest are looking up, these are worrying times for Brendan Rodgers, who admitted his Leicester team were now locked in a relegation battle. This was a fourth successive league defeat and since returning from the World Cup break Leicester appear flat and unmotivated, also missing a number of key players through injury.
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