Wood’s record goal returns Forest to winning ways.

Chris Wood’s penalty proved decisive as Nottingham Forest beat Ipswich Town 1-0 to return to winning ways in the Premier League, as he became the club’s joint-top goalscorer in Premier League history along with Bryan Roy on 24 goals.

Wood scored his ninth league goal of the season, firing his penalty past Arijanet Muric, after Sam Szmodics was adjudged to have fouled Jota Silva in the third minute of the second half.

Ipswich goalkeeper Muric performed well throughout to keep his side in the contest, but Wood’s club-record equalling strike was the difference at the City Ground.

Both sides went close in an even first half, but Forest were the much better of the two after the break, and despite a late charge from the visitors, Nuno Esiprito Santo’s team held on to snap a two-game losing streak.

Forest sit in sixth, just a point behind second-placed Manchester City, while Ipswich remain in 19th.

How the match unfolded

Morgan Gibbs-White might have got Forest off to a dream start in the opening minute, but his header from a corner flashed wide.

That chance paved the way for Forest to dominate the early exchanges, with Muric denying Callum Hudson-Odoi while Ryan Yates’ attempt was hooked off the line by Szmodics.

But Ipswich grew into the game and had an effort cleared off the line themselves, as Ola Aina kept out Cameron Burgess’ header, while Matz Sels saved a low strike from Omari Hutchinson.

Yet Forest had the lead when Wood smashed emphatically home from 12 yards in the 49th minute, after Silva went down under Szmodics’ challenge.

Muric brilliantly clawed away Murillo’s header to deny Forest before following up with an outstretched arm to prevent the rebound falling to a Forest player in the box.

Forest were not made to pay for their failure to double their advantage, with Jack Clarke snatching at Ipswich’s best opportunity, sending a tame effort into Sels’ gloves.

Wood the main man as Forest bounce back

Nuno’s side had made a fabulous start to their league campaign, but successive defeats to Newcastle United and Arsenal, with six goals conceded across those losses, had halted their early momentum.

But they set the tone early on through chances for Gibbs-White and Hudson-Odoi, and though Ipswich gained a foothold as the first half wore on, a rapid start to the second period proved the difference.

Only Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah have scored more than the New Zealand international in the Premier League so far this season, and his goals are proving vital to what could well prove to be Forest’s best Premier League season since the 1994/95 campaign, when they finished third.

It is the might of reigning champions Man City next up for Forest, though with Pep Guardiola’s team in poor form – and facing Liverpool on Sunday – Nuno’s men may just fancy their chances heading to the Etihad Stadium.

A dent for the Tractor Boys

Ipswich came into Saturday’s contest in good form. They were unbeaten in three league games, with that run having seen them claim their first top-flight win since 2002 when they beat Tottenham Hotspur, and also holding Manchester United to a 1-1 draw in Ruben Amorim’s first match in charge of the Red Devils. Indeed, the Tractor Boys were arguably the better side in that match at Portman Road last week.

Yet a fourth straight match without defeat eluded Kieran McKenna, despite some promising signs – particularly in the first half.

Hutchinson looked sharp down the right and Liam Delap got in the way of Conor Chaplin when he seemed ready to finish from close range.

They struggled to get out of first gear after half-time, though, failing to effectively deal with the aerial threat of the likes of Wood and Murillo from set pieces, but Muric performed admirably between the sticks.

Clarke’s effort was the closest they came after going behind and McKenna will be concerned at the lack of end product when his team were chasing the match, but a kinder fixture list still gives them an opportunity to get out of the relegation zone as Christmas approaches.

Crystal Palace are next up as they also are in search of a win.

Club reports

Forest report | Ipswich report

What managers said

Nuno Espirito Santo: “We are delighted to keep seeing him [Chris Wood] breaking records here and in New Zealand because he is a great person.

“I think the moment we went to a back three was to close the gaps but still required a bit of pressing the ball but we didn’t do that so Ipswich controlled the game. There was a bit of tension.

“All the games in the Premier League are so tough so that is why we go game by game. Now we will think about the next one.”

Kieran McKenna: “I think it was a pretty even game. It wasn’t the most high-quality game of the season. First half was really even. it really felt like a first-goal game. We would have been in a great position but it was them that got it. We’re disappointed, it’s a poor penalty to give away from our perspective.

“We had plenty of moments in the first half. We had chances, we had a lot of pressure. The first goal felt important and on another day, we would have got it. Fine margins.”

Next Premier League fixtures

Key facts

Wood is Forest’s joint-top goalscorer in Premier League history along with Bryan Roy (24 each), while he’s one of only two players to be either top or joint-top goalscorer for two different sides  in the competition (Burnley also), along with Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United).

Forest have earned 22 points from their first 13 Premier League games this season (W6 D4 L3); only in 1994/95 (8 matches) and 1995/96 (10 matches) have they reached 20 points after fewer matches in a Premier League campaign.

Ipswich are yet to win a Premier League match this season in which they’ve conceded first (D2 L4), while they’re winless in their last 15 league trips to Nottingham Forest (D6 L9).

Forest have kept five clean sheets in the Premier League already this season (13 matches), the earliest they’ve reached that total in the top-flight since 1987/88 (9th match).