Nottingham Forest 2-3 Bournemouth: Dominic Solanke hat-trick sinks Nuno’s 10 men

Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke scored in injury time to complete a hat-trick and hand Nuno Espirito Santo a defeat in his first game in charge of Nottingham Forest.

Forest looked set to avoid another defeat when Chris Wood netted an equaliser in the 74th minute, but Solanke had the final say at the City Ground, scoring in the fourth minute of stoppage time for Bournemouth’s third win in a row.

A frantic first half saw Willy Boly sent off after just 23 minutes before Forest were controversially denied a penalty.

Roared on by the home crowd, Anthony Elanga put Forest ahead after the break before Solanke scored twice in seven minutes.

The English forward came to the Cherries’ rescue again when he cancelled out Wood’s equaliser to claim all three points.

Defeat leaves Forest just two points clear of the relegation zone after Luton Town – who have a game in hand – claimed a 1-0 victory over Newcastle on Saturday.

Nuno’s return to the English top flight took a dramatic turn when Boly – booked earlier for a cynical trip on Solanke – was shown a second yellow card for a lunge on Adam Smith.

Boly, who played under Nuno at Wolves, appeared to get the ball, but referee Robert Jones deemed the Ivory Coast defender to have been too forceful in his follow-through challenge.

Jones was booed by an angry City Ground crowd and tensions continued to rise as another refereeing decision went against the hosts, with the video assistant referee (VAR) unable to confirm whether Smith had been in the penalty area when the ball struck his outstretched arm.

Boos and chants were directed at Jones as he walked off at the break and during half-time the club posted on X they had been “let down badly by awful decisions again”.

Nuno’s Nottingham reign starts with defeat

Forest confirmed the sacking of manager Cooper on Tuesday following a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham four days earlier.

Welshman Cooper was an extremely popular figure with Forest fans, having ended the club’s 23-year absence from the top flight when he led them to promotion from the Championship in 2022.

If Forest’s supporters were feeling disappointed by Cooper’s departure, they did not show it – offering a warm welcome to his successor and backing the team throughout a feisty encounter.

Angry that refereeing decisions had not gone their way earlier, the stands erupted as Elanga, played in by Wood, placed his strike well beyond the reach of Neto straight after the break.

Even after Solanke scored twice in quick succession, the home support could not be silenced with Wood’s equaliser boosting their spirits.

Nuno was not content with a single point as his side pushed in search of a winner, only for Solanke to snatch all three for Bournemouth.

It gets no easier for Nottingham Forest as they look for their first win since the start of November. They travel to Newcastle on Tuesday.

Superb Solanke strikes again

Solanke has almost doubled his Premier League goal tally from last season, when he netted only six in 33 appearances.

This season he has 11 and finds himself joint third in the league’s scoring charts – tied with Jarrod Bowen of West Ham and Tottenham’s Son Heung-min.

The former Liverpool striker is proving himself leading Andoni Iraola’s attacking line as Bournemouth inch closer to the top half of the table.

Before the first of his three goals on Saturday, Solanke threatened on the counter, drawing Boly’s first yellow card before hitting the side netting.

Two looping headers over goalkeeper Matt Turner’s head demonstrated his quality in the air, while he was in the right place at the right time for his second goal, unmarked as he pounced on a loose ball.

Former England striker Alan Shearer told BBC Match of the Day: “He fits their style perfectly. He does whatever they want him to do and he is adding goals to his name in the Premier League.

“He is full of confidence, is a handful and has the belief. His movement was superb. To get your name up there you have to score goals at the big level and he is doing that.”

Iraola’s side are next in action against Fulham on Tuesday before they travel to Tottenham on New Year’s Eve.