Chris Wood double sinks Leicester and lifts Nottingham Forest up to fifth

First half we were excellent. We controlled the game. We made sure we countered them when we lost the ball. We knew we’d concede a couple of chances on the counter-attack, which was okay. Second half it was some poor errors that led to goals and them being ruthless on the counter-attack. 

We took a step back, the game got a little bit frantic when we were chasing it. That’s something we need to look at.

I’m thinking about the second one I missed from five yards out! I’m buzzing. I feel like I get in really good areas. Just buzzing it went in. To concede 10 minutes later was disappointing, but second half, we came out and showed our real quality. The atmosphere was really good, it made for a really entertaining game. I’m happy with that [goal] to be fair. I just love showing that passion to the fans.

When I first broke into the first team, I know how much it means to wear the red shirt. It’s an absolute honour and I just want to do it justice. We’ve got to keep pushing for more and more.

I thought Forest were poor at times in the first half but in the second half, they more than deserved it. We’re only nine games in... some might say the Forest fans are over-celebrating but you’ve got to enjoy football.

The Forest fans have had some difficult times so they should enjoy it while it lasts as there will be more challenging times later this season.

I feel good. It’s all down to the team. They supply me with a lot of chances. I’m not one who’s going to beat four players and stick one in the top corner. 

I rely on the service of my team-mates and they just keep delivering for me.

Forest deservedly take all three points and continue their good form after an excellent second half performance.

Boos by the home crowd towards their team.  When Nuno Forest last season, they were 17th in the table, with one win in 13 matches. This season, they’re currently 5th place with one loss in nine matches.

Frustration is building for the home side as Forest pop the ball about with confidence and win cheap free kicks.

Forest sub:

OFF Wood
ON Awoniyi

Dominguez is down for Forest and doesn’t look comfortable as he points to his shoulder. 

Forest sub:

OFF Hudson-Odoi, Elanga
ON Sosa, Jota Silva

Time is running out for Leicester to get something from the match. 

Leicester sub:

OFF Ndidi
ON Soumare

Forest sub:

OFF Anderson, Moreno
ON Morato, Williams

Leicester sub: 

OFF Pereira, Mavididi
ON Ayew, El Khannous

It is Wood again!!

Sels hits a long ball forward, Faes fails to deal with it, letting the ball bounce, Hermansen opts not to come out and Wood loops a header over him.

Awful defending but Forest won’t care because ‘Chris Wood’s on fire’.

‘Chris Wood’s on fire, your defence is terrified’ sing the Forest fans. Their team is on top at the moment now. 

Hudson-Odoi races away down the left, gets into the box and bends a shot which strikes the foot of the post and from the rebound Anderson shoots wide.

Vardy goes down in the box after a clash with Milenkovic. He wants a penalty. VAR checks it and clears it.

Replays show a little tug by the Forest defender. Slightly fortunate there.

Wood has done it again. Winks gives the ball and Forest go on the attack. The ball is cut back to Wood, who holds off Okoli, turns and shoots into the bottom corner expertly.

That is class.

An entertaining half of football comes to end at the King Power. Nothing separating them but it has been an enjoyable watch.

Hopefully, the managers encourage their players to continue and not pull the handbrake!

Elanga takes the free-kick... and the Leicester wall does its job by blocking it. 

Hermansen is then forced into another save, this time from Hudson-Odoi’s shot from distance.

WHAT A SAVE!

Dominguez is in acres of space in the box after Leicester can’t clear a goal. The Forest midfielder smashes a shot a goal from four yards but Hermansen makes himself big and saves the shot with his feet.

What was I saying about Vardy?!

Winks starts the move by beating his man in midfield and bursting forward. He plays a one-two with Mavididi, gets into the box and fires a cross into the six yard box for Vardy to tap in.

Finally some for the fans to get excited about. Buonanotte picks up the ball and drives towards the Forest, he takes a shot from distance and his effort his blocked for a corner. 

The resulting set-piece is cleared by Forest, who are yet to concede from a corner this season.

Leicester: Hermansen, Justin, Faes, Okoli, Ricardo Pereira, Ndidi, Winks, Fatawu, Buonanotte, Mavididi, Vardy.
Subs: Ward, Coady, El Khannous, De Cordova-Reid, Ayew, Skipp, Soumare, Edouard, Thomas.

Nottingham Forest: Sels, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Alex, Yates, Dominguez, Elanga, Anderson, Hudson-Odoi, Wood.
Subs: Carlos Miguel, Morato, Williams, Awoniyi, Toffolo, Ward-Prowse, Jota Silva, Sosa, Boly.

Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)

Tough match, they come from two good performances and results. Not easy to get back-to-back wins in the Premier League and they have done it.

So it tells us they are in a good moment, it’s going to be hard and we go there to fight and try be better than them.

Fatawu, Buonanotte and Mavididi all start for Leicester while Pereira comes in at full-back while Winks is recalled in midfield.

Ward-Prowse returns to the Forest squad after serving a one-game suspension and is named on the bench. Gibbs-White remains absent due to injury.

Hello and welcome to coverage from the Premier League as Leicester City take on Nottingham Forest.

Six places in the table and four points separate the two teams and both come into tonight’s match on the back of victories.

Leicester fought back from 2-0 down against Southampton to beat them 3-2 last Saturday and on Monday, Forest defeated Crystal Palace 1-0 to move themselves into the top half.

Steve Cooper is set for an emotional evening as he comes up against Forest, who he led to promotion and survival in the top flight before being sacked last season. But he refused to talk about his time at the City Ground ahead of the match and also did not say whether he would acknowledge the Forest fans. 

“I’ll be focusing on the job in hand,” he said. “My mindset is that these jobs are so consuming that you don’t have any time to think about anything else. You haven’t got time for your mind to wander. If it does, then you get your comeuppance, I’ve learnt that - even before I managed at Swansea City. That’s where my mindset is. And that’s all I’m going to talk about.

“I’ve always respected jobs where I’ve been and had. I live in the moment, try to show respect and humility and hopefully that will serve me OK and I’ll be able to sleep at night. You won’t get any disrespect from me.” 

Meanwhile, Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo wants his side to “ignore the compliments” surrounding their good start to the season. He said: “All of us need to keep improving and getting the best out of each one of us - especially after two tough years that we had. 

“After a good start, we need to stick with that and don’t get distracted, ignore the compliments, so many can relax you, it’s my job not to do that. We don’t look at the table, this is not the moment to do so. We have lots of issues to take care of, players out, problems inside of the team. 

“For example with Matz (Sels), thank you to him, but something is going on. Previous games we didn’t allow too many chances so it’s finding the balance in the competition, this is how we work and improving details.”

Full team news to come...