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Coventry City finally have something to shout about: a 1-0 win at the City Ground against Nottingham Forest, their first Premier League victory in 25 years, courtesy of Jay Dasilva's 55th-minute finish after pouncing on a long ball from keeper Carl Rushworth. Forest thought they'd rescued a point late on when Igor Jesus bundled the ball in, but VAR chalked it off for a foul in the build-up on Coventry defender Caleb Yirenkyi - the home end will be replaying that one for a while. Dasilva was the story of the night, the man who ended a genuinely historic wait for Sky Blues fans. It's Matchweek 5, and the win drags Coventry off the bottom of the table and onto the board after four straight defeats to start the season, while Forest's unbeaten run comes to an end - they stay on 6 points from five games as the table bunches up around them.
Pre-match Talking Points
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1Forest go into this sitting in the bottom half but unbeaten — three draws from three under new boss Oliver Glasner, which is a decent foundation but not a result they can keep leaning on. A win here would be their first of the season and a proper platform to build from. Coventry, back in the Premier League for the first time in 25 years, are already fighting fires: bottom of the table, no points, no goals scored in four games. For them this is less about climbing the table and more about simply getting off the mark.
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2There isn't much recent history to draw on here. Coventry's last Premier League match came a quarter of a century ago, before they dropped out of the top flight in 2001, and Forest had their own long spell away from it too. So this fixture genuinely hasn't existed in the Premier League era for most people watching today — two clubs with serious history colliding again after a very long gap, which is worth a mention on its own.
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3Keep an eye on Morgan Gibbs-White. He's been directly involved in three of Forest's four Premier League goals this season — one goal, two assists — and has more goal involvements than any other English midfielder in the calendar year so far. Non-fans won't know the name, but he's quietly having one of the best individual starts in the country right now.
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4Team news matters here. Forest will be without Nikola Milenkovic again, still nursing a hamstring problem, though Jair Cunha is back in training and could return to the squad. Coventry's issues run deeper: Aurele Amenda limped off with a calf injury in midweek, Taiwo Awoniyi is suspended after a red card for violent conduct against Brighton, and Haji Wright is out with a quad injury — an already stretched squad heading into a tough away day with three key options missing.
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5Here's the hook: Coventry haven't scored a single Premier League goal yet this season, in four games. Every match brings a small countdown — will today be the day the drought ends, or does it stretch to five? It's the kind of underdog milestone that's more heartwarming than it sounds: a club back in the top flight after 25 years away, just trying to get on the scoresheet. Worth tuning in for that alone, whichever way it goes.
Team Talking Points
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1Forest go into the international break on a high after beating Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground last Saturday. It was their first home league win of the season, and it lifted them out of the relegation zone to around 16th.
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2Liam Delap scored twice, and he came through City's academy, so beating his old club was extra sweet. Jair Cunha opened the scoring after six minutes. Cunha also cleared an Erling Haaland shot off the line, which is the sort of thing defenders tell their grandchildren about.
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3Before Saturday, Forest had gone almost six months without scoring a goal at home. Six months. Mention that to a Forest fan now and they'll laugh, because it no longer hurts.
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4Manager Oliver Glasner said changes were needed after the previous defeat to Brentford, and he made them. Ryan Yates got his first start of the season and was reportedly behind a rousing team talk before kick-off. An academy lad firing up the dressing room is exactly the kind of story Forest fans love.
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5The job now is to stay up. One big win doesn't fix a season, and the bottom of the table is very crowded. Still, beating the team that had won seven in a row at the start of the season does wonders for belief.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Six months without a home goal, then three against Man City. Forest really don't do things the easy way.
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Avoid saying
"Forest are a big club, they'll be fine." Two European Cups is a great history, but it scores no goals, as six goalless months at home proved. Fans know a relegation scrap when they see one, and they don't want it waved away.
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1Coventry are back in the Premier League for the first time since 2001, having won the Championship last season under Frank Lampard, who signed a new deal to 2029 in the summer. Treat them warmly – a generation of Sky Blues fans has waited a very long time for this.
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2It's been a bumpy ride. They're 17th with 9 points from 10 games, and they're the only side in the league yet to draw a match: three wins, seven defeats. Coventry don't really do 'boring nil-nil', which is either thrilling or exhausting depending on your blood pressure.
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3The wins have been good ones, mind – a 4-1 over Newcastle, a 1-0 at Nottingham Forest and a 3-1 over Sunderland. Last time out they lost 3-1 at Everton, where Yann Gboho scored his first goal for the club in a game they'd started the better side.
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4The low point was a 5-0 home hammering by Brighton back in September, with Taiwo Awoniyi sent off. Probably best not to bring that one up unless you've got a very forgiving Coventry fan in front of you.
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5Next up is enormous: Crystal Palace at home on Saturday 21 November. Palace are bottom of the table, so a win would give Coventry real breathing space above the relegation zone. Call it a 'six-pointer' and you'll fit right in.
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Top thing to say down the pub
No draws all season – Coventry either win or lose, and honestly I respect it. Palace at home after the break feels massive, though.
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Avoid saying
"Lampard couldn't hack it at Chelsea, he'll get them relegated" – he's the man who brought them back to the top flight after 25 years. Coventry fans adore him, and you will not win that argument.