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“You’ll never sing that, champions of Europe,” was chanted around the ground as Nottingham Forest fans celebrated a further win against Malmö. Much has transpired since Trevor Francis’s winning header clinched the continental trophy in 1979, but the club continue to treasure those glorious moments. Similarly, significant shifts have occurred in the weeks since the manager assumed control, with Forest appearing reinvigorated and earning a convincing victory thanks to goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Ryan Yates, and Milenkovic, enhancing their prospects of advancing in the European competition.

Building Steam with Third Straight Victory

For Forest, this performance – against a Swedish side that had not played for almost three weeks after finishing sixth in their home competition – marked a third consecutive triumph across every tournament and further built on the positive energy generated from the previous week's stunning victory at Anfield. While this fixture was a reminder of the club's European Cup success in spirit, the game itself was devoid of any significant tension or jitters.

This was an event filled with nostalgia, an eagerly awaited meeting and the third clash between the sides since the showpiece event over four decades past.

Forest fully embraced the history, honoring the heroes of 1979 by providing them, along with their Malmö opponents, the red-carpet treatment. Thirteen members of the Swedish club’s team from that time were additionally in attendance. The two clubs shared a meal together before the match. Forest legends and company were given a tumultuous welcome when they gathered on the field 15 minutes before kick-off, and a typically impressive display was unveiled in the home stand.

Remembering History

“May 30, 1979, Robertson crossed it in from the left,” displayed one part of a giant banner, in block capitals. While no one required a reminder of what happened next, the rest was revealed as the players emerged from the dressing rooms. “And there’s Francis,” it stated. Another brilliant display depicted Clough watching proceedings beside his right-hand man Taylor on a dugout at the Olympiastadion.

Control from the Start

So, the hosts had drunk in those beautiful recollections, but what about the performance on the evening? It was pretty good, too. They were in full command from the moment the forward fired an attempt off target inside two minutes and built a two-goal advantage by the break. Domínguez sent an early header off target and then Abbott, on his first European start, tried his luck.

It felt fitting that Ryan Yates, who came to Forest aged eight, made the first dent in the Malmö defence led by their own academy product skipper, Pontus Jansson, formerly of Leeds and Brentford FC. The Forest centre-back Milenkovic saw a cross deflect off a defender and into the pathway of the midfielder, who finished right-footed from the edge of the penalty area to score his maiden strike since last March.

Another Goal Seals Control

Yates was implicated in Forest’s next goal on the brink of half-time, as well, his free header parried by Malmö’s goalkeeper Melker Ellborg but the alert forward poised to convert the rebound from point-blank range. James McAtee, the playmaker handed a seldom start and only his second outing since the autumn, was the catalyst, chipping a delicious ball towards Yates at the far post.

Just moments before, Hudson-Odoi’s driven shot was deflected wide off the defender Colin Rösler, son of former Man City striker Uwe, and an unmarked the defender had previously had a powerful header instinctively repelled by Ellborg, who was back in place of the former Villa goalkeeper Olsen.

Malmö’s Struggles

This was Malmö’s first match since the Swedish Allsvenskan concluded on November 9th, and they found it hard to equal the home team's intensity. The Reds extended the lead to three when the defender applied the finishing touch after his centre-back partner Murillo kept alive a corner. Yates had a shot blocked, but the Serbia defender Milenkovic pounced on the leftovers.

The home side then went for the jugular, with Hudson-Odoi dinking a right-foot shot on to the bar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an ambitious shot wide from 30 yards. It was one of those evenings. The manager, aware of the upcoming league game here against Brighton, made seven changes from the side that stunned Liverpool at Anfield recently, when they also netted three times, though he called on substitutes and further fresh legs midway through the final period.

Smooth Evening for Forest

It turned out to be a flawless night for Nottingham Forest. Dyche could withdraw Murillo with the game already boxed off and subsequently introduced teenage full-back Sinclair for his first-team debut. Dyche talked about the Forest old guard providing “bits of gold” at regular meetings and, almost five decades on, the present squad demonstrated they are able of producing of thrills, too.