Forest lose 1-0 to Sunderland as Postecoglou's winless run continues

Nottingham Forest's search for a first win under Ange Postecoglou continued on Saturday as they fell 1-0 to Sunderland at the City Ground, the visitors taking the lead just before half time through Omar Alderete's header. The result left Forest 16th in the Premier League with five points from six matches, while Sunderland rose to third on 11 points after a strong start to their return to the top flight.

The match's decisive moment came in the 38th minute when referee Tony Harrington awarded a free kick after Nicolas Dominguez went to ground following a challenge with Trai Hume. Dominguez was booked for simulation and Granit Xhaka's delivery was met by an unmarked Alderete, whose header beat goalkeeper Matz Sels. A VAR check deemed the goal valid despite Forest protests over a potential foul on Neco Williams as the free kick was taken.

Postecoglou declined to lay the blame solely at the officials. He called the goal "a really poor goal to concede" and said the team had been "way too lax" in preventing it, adding that Forest had not been ruthless enough in front of goal. The hosts dominated possession and territory after the break and registered 22 shots, but could not breach...