Nottingham Forest 2-1 Hull City: Hosts come from goal down to beat Tigers

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Lewis Grabban scoresImage source, Getty Images
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Lewis Grabban's penalty saw the Forest captain score his 10th goal of the season

Nottingham Forest came from a goal down to beat Hull City and move within a point of the Championship play-off places.

Having dominated much of the first period, Forest went in behind as Keane Lewis-Potter got on the end of Sean McLoughlin's excellent long ball, cut inside Djed Spence and fired in right-footed.

But Forest won a penalty six minutes after the break when Alex Mighten went down in the box and Lewis Grabban converted.

The hosts deservedly went ahead when Brennan Johnson superbly chested down Grabban's cross from the right and coolly side-footed home from six yards.

Seventh-placed Forest extended their unbeaten run to nine matches with a third successive victory while Grant McCann's side were beaten for the first time in seven games and stay 19th, four points off the relegation places.

Forest had by far the better of the first half, both in terms of chances and possession.

The impressive Jordi Osei-Tutu created early opportunities for Johnson and Grabban, but neither could find the target.

Grabban flicked a close-range effort wide of the near post after 18 minutes before Johnson side-footed an effort across the face of goal after some good inter-play with Spence down the left.

But after Osei-Tutu was forced off with an injury, Hull had their best spell of the game.

Mallik Wilks curled a free-kick into the side-netting before Lewis-Potter's goal, and the winger almost had a second in stoppage time as he headed a corner wide.

Forest came out flying after the break - Nathan Baxter saved well from Philip Zinckernagel's header before Mighten went down in the box under a challenge by George Honeyman.

Hull were incensed - replays showed the City midfielder played the ball - but Grabban kept his nerve to fire in low from the spot for his 10th goal of the season.

Johnson's excellent goal capped off the comeback - his chested control left Hull defender Di'Shon Bernard wrong-footed and gave the home-grown attacker the time to side-foot low past Baxter.

Greg Docherty saw an effort go over the bar in the fourth minute of stoppage time after Lewis-Potter had headed a cross back across goal as Hull's good run came to an end.

Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper told BBC Radio Nottingham:

"I thought we played really well first half, as good as we've been at times in terms of our build-up and our positioning and really looked like the team I want us to end up becoming.

"We could have done a bit more at the top end of the pitch, but maybe that was the challenge - to keep going as we were and they scored a really good goal to be fair to them.

"It was soft from our point of view and it's against the run of play, but half-time was about dealing with the injuries, changing formation, dealing with being 1-0 down when you're playing well - there can be a mental thing to get over that.

"But they did, they started the second half really well and we kept the momentum going in the game and a brilliant goal from Lewis's assist and Brennan's composure in a tight area."

Hull City manager Grant McCann told BBC Radio Humberside:

"I thought we were outstanding second half, the performance levels of this group keep getting better and better every week.

"The moment that swung and changed the game is an absolute howler; that's probably the best way I can describe it by (referee) John Busby.

"George Honeyman's in [the dressing room] icing his shin with a gash down it. He's kicked George and George has taken the ball, it's just crazy how at this level of football that decision can go so wrong, given the fact that he's five yards away from the play.

"I'm not one to criticise referees but that was an embarrassing decision today."

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