Twenty-five years is a long time to wait for a Premier League win. On Saturday, Coventry City finally got one. Jay Dasilva’s second-half goal beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground, and it came from a goalkeeper’s pinpoint long ball. Frank Lampard’s promoted side were pointless and goalless after four games, and this was a proper feel-good story.
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Coventry: How It Happened
Forest bossed the first half. They had 14 shots in the first half, and the game had 20 in total, the most in a goalless first half of a Premier League game since Brentford against Liverpool (24) in January 2025. Coventry survived, and just ten minutes after the break they struck.
Goalkeeper Carl Rushworth launched a perfect long ball, Dasilva took one touch to beat Daniel Muñoz, and he fired coolly past Matz Sels. It was Dasilva’s first goal in 127 Coventry appearances, and it ended the club’s long wait for a top-flight goal and win.
VAR Drama and a Goal-Line Clearance
Coventry still had to survive. In the 76th minute, Bobby Thomas hooked Igor Jesus’s chip off the line. Then, in the 86th minute, Jesus seemed to equalise, but VAR ruled it out for a foul on Caleb Yirenkyi.
Lampard said the replay showed a foul, and he called it the right decision. Forest boss Oliver Glasner would not discuss it beyond calling it déjà vu, since it was the second goal Forest have had disallowed at home this season. Forest have yet to score or win at home in any competition.
From Zero Points to Off the Bottom
This was a huge relief for Coventry. They had lost their first four matches, including away games at Arsenal and Manchester City and a 5-0 home defeat to Brighton, with a goal difference of minus ten. The win lifts them off the foot of the table, though they remain in the relegation zone on goal difference. Forest sit 12th.
What Lampard and Redknapp Said
Lampard kept his feet on the ground. He said it is only one win and that his team has already felt how ruthless the league is. Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp said Coventry had a hard start in terms of opponents. He said the win helps them shed their inferiority complex, and that they showed they can handle the occasion and defend well.
What It Means Going Forward
The three-week international break gives Lampard time to build on the momentum. The margin is thin, and Coventry are far from safe, but a first goal, a first point and a first win in the Premier League is exactly what a promoted team needs. Rushworth’s assist was a standout moment, and it is the kind of story fans love to share on social media.
Coventry supporters have waited a quarter of a century for this. Keep the faith, and keep believing. Sometimes the wait makes the win taste sweeter.
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