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.
The former Wolves and Tottenham manager was appointed on Wednesday following the departure of Steve Cooper, was who sacked after the club’s fifth defeat in six games.
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 William 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.