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“You’ll never sing that, champions of Europe,” rang out through the ground as Forest supporters celebrated a further result against Malmö. Much has happened since Francis's winning header secured the continental trophy back in 1979, but the club continue to hold dear those glorious moments. Similarly, major shifts have occurred in the five weeks since the manager assumed control, with the team looking refreshed and securing a comfortable win thanks to goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Yates, and Milenkovic, enhancing their prospects of advancing in the European competition.

Building Steam with Third Consecutive Victory

For Forest, this performance – against a Swedish side that had not played for almost three weeks after finishing sixth in their domestic league – represented a third straight triumph across all competitions and added to the momentum generated from last weekend’s success at Liverpool. While this match was a re-run of Forest’s European Cup triumph in spirit, the encounter itself was free of any significant jeopardy or nerves.

This was an event dripping in sentiment, an eagerly awaited meeting and the third competitive meeting between the sides since the European Cup final 46 years ago.

Forest leaned into the history, paying tribute to the heroes of 1979 by providing them, along with their visiting opponents, the red-carpet treatment. Thirteen members of the Swedish club’s team from that time were also present. The two clubs enjoyed a dinner together before the match. Forest legends and company were given a tumultuous reception when they assembled on the pitch a quarter of an hour before the start, and a characteristically impressive tifo was shown in the home stand.

Recalling History

“May 30, 1979, Robertson crossed it in from the left flank,” displayed one part of a giant tifo, in block capitals. While nobody required a reminder of what happened next, the rest was revealed as the players emerged from the dressing rooms. “There is Francis,” it stated. Another brilliant display showed Clough observing events beside his right-hand man Peter Taylor on a bench at the Olympiastadion.

Control from the Start

So, Forest had soaked up those beautiful memories, but what about the performance on the evening? It was strong, too. They were in full command from the moment Kalimuendo fired an effort wide inside the opening moments and built a two-goal advantage by the break. Nicolás Domínguez sent an early header off target and then Abbott, on his first European start, tried his luck.

It felt fitting that Yates, who joined the club aged eight, made the first dent in the visitors' defense led by their own academy product captain, Pontus Jansson, formerly of Leeds and Brentford FC. The Forest defender Milenkovic saw a delivery deflect off a defender and into the path of the midfielder, who swept home right-footed from the edge of the box to score his first goal since last March.

Another Goal Confirms Control

The scorer was implicated in Forest’s next goal on the verge of the interval, too, his free header saved by Malmö’s goalkeeper Ellborg but the alert forward poised to convert the loose ball from close range. James McAtee, the playmaker handed a seldom start and just his second appearance since September, was the catalyst, chipping a perfect ball towards Yates at the back post.

A minute earlier, Hudson-Odoi’s low effort was deflected aside off Malmö defender Colin Rösler, the son of ex- Man City forward Uwe, and an free the defender had previously had a powerful header instinctively saved by Ellborg, who returned in place of the former Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

Malmö’s Difficulties

This was the Swedish side's initial game since the domestic league ended on 9 November, and they found it hard to match the home team's intensity. Forest extended the lead to three when the defender scored after his defensive colleague Murillo kept alive a set-piece. The captain had a shot stopped, but the Serbian centre-back Milenkovic feasted on the leftovers.

Forest then went for the jugular, with Hudson-Odoi dinking a effort on to the crossbar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an ambitious shot wide from 30 yards. It was one of those evenings. Dyche, mindful of Sunday’s domestic fixture here against Brighton & Hove Albion, made seven changes from the side that stunned Liverpool at Anfield recently, when they also scored three times, though he called on Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye and Igor Jesus during the final period.

Hiccup-Free Evening for Forest

It proved a hiccup-free evening for Nottingham Forest. Dyche could withdraw Murillo with the match long since sewn up and later brought on teenage defender Sinclair for his first-team debut. He discussed the club legends supplying “bits of gold” at weekly get-togethers and, almost five decades on, the present squad demonstrated they are capable of a few nuggets of thrills, too.