CHRIS Wood clinched Nottingham Forest’s first Premier League win this season as the New Zealand striker’s last-gasp header sealed a 2-1 win against Sheffield United on Friday.
Wood netted in the 89th minute at the City Ground to ensure Forest bounced back from their 2-1 defeat at Arsenal in their season opener last weekend.
Steve Cooper’s side had taken the lead early in the first half thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s header.
Gustavo Hamer equalised before the break on his Blades debut. The midfielder arrived last week from second tier Coventry.
Wood’s dramatic late contribution made it successive defeats for United on their return to the top-flight after last season’s promotion as Championship runners-up.
The Blades lost 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace last weekend.
Dating back to last season, Forest have won four in a row at the City Ground as a top-flight side for the first time since 1996.
Awoniyi, Forest’s top scorer from last season, repaid Cooper’s faith after being restored to the starting line-up.
He is just the second Forest player to score in six successive games in the Premier League after Stan Collymore in 1995.
In the first top-flight meeting between these sides since the maiden Premier League season in 1992-93, Forest took just three minutes to seize the initiative.
Serge Aurier’s cross was perfectly placed for Awoniyi to muscle between two defenders and power a bullet header past United keeper Wes Foderingham.
In the last 15 years, only two players other than Awoniyi have scored six of their club’s goals in a row — Christian Benteke for Aston Villa in 2015 and Erling Haaland for Manchester City last season.
