Head coach Steve Cooper conceded Nottingham Forest had “thrown away a win” as they fell 3-2 at home to Bournemouth.
The Reds had been in the driving seat at half-time against their fellow newly-promoted side. Looking comfortable, a Cheikhou Kouyate header and a Brennan Johnson penalty had put them 2-0 up.
The second half was a completely different story, however. Nerves seemed to set in when Philip Billing pulled one back for the visitors. Goals from Dominic Solanke and Jaidon Anthony then turned the game on its head to condemn Cooper’s men to a third straight defeat.
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“I didn’t see the second half coming. I thought we were very good in the first half, and good for the two-goal lead,” the Forest boss said.
“We were in control of the game. The atmosphere was great. Half-time was a real positive but focused one.
“We were very clear about what we needed to do in the game to continue to do well. Equally, we were saying, we’ve got to make sure we start the second half with the intent of trying to get back into the rhythm we had in the first half. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
“The first goal, we didn’t defend well enough before the ball went in the net. That has then set the tone for the second half, and we’ve not managed that very well.
“The second goal was from a set-piece. We should do better, but we were slightly unfortunate that Yatesy was off the pitch because he had a knock on his head before it.
“Then there was a mistake from Scott for the third goal. That’s the first time he’s put a foot wrong since I’ve been here.
“But let’s not hide away from the fact that we’ve thrown away a win. We’ve not done it in a very good way. We’ve conceded three goals at home, and there’s nothing good about that.”
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