When Callum Hudson-Odoi did what he so often does, by cutting in from the right to score one of his trademark goals at Anfield, it was a landmark goal, for several reasons.
It ended a 55-year wait for a win at Liverpool; it vindicated Nuno Espirito Santo’s tactics and it sent a message to the rest of the Premier League that Nottingham Forest are evolving into a competitive force.
Which got us thinking: which of Forest’s other goals in the Premier League era were landmarks? Not perhaps for the quality of the strike, but because of what they meant.
Here we have compiled the 10 most significant goals of the modern era. Though as it turned out, after much head-scratching and debate, we could only whittle it down to 13.
Stan Collymore v Peterborough (A), April 30, 1994
Frank Clark signed Stan Collymore for a club record fee of £2.25million from Southend in July 1993, believing he was the man to fire Forest back into the Premier League.
He was emphatically right.
Collymore’s 24th goal of the season — a rampage into the penalty area in trademark fashion before finishing decisively — could hardly have been more dramatic, as Forest came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in stoppage time.
It was the goal that confirmed promotion and marked the start of a new era under Clark.
Hey @NFFC ..
I hear Peterborough is nice in April 😉
May the force be with you 🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/TqySFSQzku
— Stan Collymore (@StanCollymore) April 22, 2022
Lars Bohinen v Tottenham (A), September 24, 1994
Forest kicked off their return to the Premier League with an explosive 11-match unbeaten run.
Amid that run, a 4-1 win at White Hart Lane stood out.
While Bryan Roy scored twice, the pick of the goals was the fourth, which saw Bohinen collect the ball 35 yards from goal, evade a couple of challenges and look up to deliver a delightful, imperious chip over the head of helpless goalkeeper Ian Walker for the fourth.
The strike underlined that newly-promoted Forest would be a force to be reckoned with.
Stan Collymore v Man Utd (A), December 17, 1994
United were yet to conceded a goal at Old Trafford in the Premier League.
When Collymore ended that run, commentator John Motson described it as “breaking into the Bank of England”. If so, then Collymore did it with a large stick of dynamite.
After picking up possession from strike partner Roy, Collymore powered to the edge of the ‘D’ and unleashed an unstoppable rocket.
It was Collymore at his very best and Forest at their best, as they inflicted a 2-1 defeat on United that firmly established their position in the title race.
Paul McGregor v Lyon (H), November 21, 1995
Forest’s shock third-place finish on their return to the Premier League earned them a return to the European stage in the UEFA Cup.
The competition provided memories galore, including a quarter-final defeat against eventual winners Bayern Munich, a side including Lothar Matthaus, Jurgen Klinsmann, Jean-Pierre Papin and Oliver Kahn.
One of the best nights under the European lights came in the third round against Lyon, when Forest secured what proved to be a decisive 1-0 advantage in the first leg.
When Stuart Pearce’s penalty is saved, McGregor reacts the quickest and slides in to guide the rebound into the back of the net, before pitching himself into the fans behind the goal.
Chris Bart-Williams v Reading (H), April 26, 1998
Forest needed three points to seal promotion to the Premier League. Reading, battling relegation, had other ideas.
As the clock ticked into the 87th minute, the score was 0-0 and the City Ground was filled with nervous trepidation.
But when Colin Cooper delivered a looping free kick into the penalty area, Bart-Williams controlled the ball and swivelled in one graceful movement, cutting inside his marker and providing room for a shot inside the post.
“It was only when I looked back on the goal afterwards that I realised how important it was. It was about so much more than football. It was about jobs; it was about an impact on their entire club; an entire city,” said Bart-Williams in an interview with The Athletic last year before his untimely death.
“From a player’s perspective, you don’t always see what it means. In that moment I think we all understood.”
Julian Bennett v Yeovil (H), May 3, 2008
Few goals can better have summed up the character of the player who scored it than this one.
Bennett grew up in the Meadows, a stone’s throw from the City Ground. Released by the Forest academy as a teenager, he got a second chance when signed from Walsall in 2006. He was a hard, no-nonsense performer, with the heart of a lion. He once tried to run off a serious ACL injury as if it was only the slightest of knocks.
When Yeovil cleared a Kris Commons delivery to the edge of the box, Bennett launched himself into a brutal challenge, taking player and ball, before regaining his feet to lash an equally thunderous shot high into the corner of the net, when it rebounded back to him.
It was the first goal in a 3-2 win that saw Forest leapfrog Doncaster into second place on the final day and, in the process, secure a return to the Championship after three long years.
Ben Osborn v Derby (A), January 17, 2015
Few things have matched the noise that greeted Stuart Pearce when he walked out of the City Ground tunnel on his first day as Nottingham Forest manager on August 9, 2014. Yet five months later, after four straight defeats the legendary former left-back was clinging onto his job.
Pearce had requested that nobody refer to the ‘Psycho’ persona that he had forged during his playing days. He was not a screamer or a shouter in the dressing room. He was a calm, composed figure — at times the players were surprised by his mild nature.
But the one time we got a glimpse of the Psycho of old was in the immediate aftermath of seeing Osborn fire a dramatic stoppage-time winner from the edge of the box, against the club he had supported growing up.
Pearce, his face a grimace of pure passion, punched the air and fiercely hugged those around him, as he celebrated a goal — and a 2-1 win — that preserved his position, albeit only temporarily.
Chris Cohen v Ipswich (H), May 7, 2017
Evangelos Marinakis’ takeover of the club was almost complete, but Forest needed a win to avoid relegation to League One on the final day.
Jordan Smith produced a world-class save to keep the score at 0-0, which was a landmark moment in itself, but Forest’s second in their 3-0 win — which kept them up on goal difference — was even more so.
It came from club captain Cohen, who was making his 300th Forest appearance after three serious ACL injuries.
With the aid of a slight deflection, he found the top corner with a powerful strike from the edge of the box, before celebrating on the touchline with staff who had helped him in his recoveries.
Levi Colwill (OG) v Huddersfield, May 29, 2022
It was cruel on the Huddersfield defender that his own goal proved to be the decisive moment in the 1-0 win that ended Forest’s 23-year exile from the Premier League. The presence of Ryan Yates might have made a difference, as he pressured the on-loan Chelsea player into making an error.
The scruffy manner of the goal mattered little to the thousands of Forest fans gathered in the capital in the hope of seeing Forest end their play-off hoodoo, having never previously reached a play-off final, never mind winning one.
A hotchpotch of loan signings and youth-team products had been cajoled into life by Steve Cooper, who transformed a side battling relegation in September into one that celebrated at Wembley eight months later.
Chris Wood v Manchester City (H), February 18, 2023
A goal that is included for its inherent brilliance, as much as for what it meant at the time.
A goalkeeping masterclass from Keylor Navas had helped to keep the score at 1-0 against the title favourites, so when Wood tapped home at the far post, it secured a precious point for Forest against the most dangerous team in the top flight.
But it was also the sheer beauty of it that made it special. Every single Forest player got a touch as the ball was patiently worked from back to front, before the New Zealand international pounced to lift the roof off.
Danilo v Southampton (H), May 8, 2023
Taiwo Awoniyi had already scored one vital goal, to secure Forest’s only away win of the season, at Southampton. He added two more when the Saints came to the City Ground for a relegation dogfight.
But it was the final goal in Forest’s precious 4-3 win that stood out, as Brennan Johnson rampaged down the right before cutting the ball across the penalty area. Morgan Gibbs-White produced a clever flick into Danilo’s path and the Brazilian drove emphatically home, before celebrating wildly.
There was a nervy finale, but Forest held out for a win that took them a step closer to Premier League safety.
Taiwo Awoniyi v Arsenal (H), May 20, 2023
Arsenal arrived at the City Ground still holding out hope of beating Manchester City to the title, while Forest knew a win would secure safety.
Arsenal dominated for long spells, but they could not break Forest’s resolve. And, when Gibbs-White spearheaded a quick break, Awoniyi timed his run perfectly. He collected Gibbs-White’s pass and jabbed the ball beyond the goalkeeper for his fifth goal in three games.
It ensured Forest’s Premier League stay lasted more than one season.
Anthony Elanga v Chelsea (A), September 2, 2023
Forest’s next season in the top flight began with games at Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool in their first six away fixtures. It felt harsh on a team that won only once away in 2022-23.
But Forest returned from Stamford Bridge with a precious 1-0 win after Ryan Yates won possession in the centre and fed the advancing Awoniyi. He found the speedy Elanga, who slotted home confidently.
One win did not end Forest’s away day struggles — they did not win again on the road until they hammered Newcastle 3-1 in December, shortly after Nuno had replaced Cooper.
But the goal at Chelsea — and the win it catalysed — suggested that Forest were ready to take another step forward.
And the rest…
There are dozens of contenders that did not make the cut. Any at Sheffield United that secured safety last May. Lyle Taylor’s brace at Bristol City in the Championship. Any of Robert Earnshaw’s goals against Derby. Gibbs-White’s winner at Southampton a few weeks ago. Lewis McGugan’s free kick against Ipswich. Jack Colback’s stunner against West Brom. Radoslaw Majewski’s wondergoal against West Brom…
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
(Top photo: Chris Bart-Williams scoring against Reading; by Michael Steele/EMPICS via Getty Images)
