Coventry City earned their first Premier League points of the season with a hard-fought victory over Nottingham Forest thanks to Jay Dasilva’s second-half strike.
The newly promoted Sky Blues had lost all four of their previous fixtures – conceding 10 goals and scoring none – having returned to the top flight for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
But Frank Lampard’s side weathered a first half dominated by Forest, albeit one bereft of clear goalscoring chances, before they seized their moment 10 minutes after the break.
A deft touch from Dasilva after he chased a long ball enabled him to skip inside Daniel Munoz before he dispatched a clinical finish beyond Matz Sels, who had attempted to narrow the angle.
Forest had earlier threatened with Dan Ndoye and Liam Delap both curling past the post, while visiting goalkeeper Carl Rushworth saved smartly from Neco Williams.
Oliver Glasner’s side – winless at the City Ground this season – went close again after they fell behind and only a spectacular clearance from Bobby Thomas denied Igor Jesus’ goal-bound effort.
Forest then thought they had equalised with four minutes of normal time remaining when Jesus fired home after Caleb Yirenkyi tumbled in the box.
However, the Coventry player’s fall was deemed by the referee to have been caused by the Forest man after a video assistant referee (VAR) review.
The result helped Coventry climb off the foot of the table – above Fulham and Tottenham – up to 18th, while Forest are in 12th spot.
Coventry analysis: First top flight goal in quarter of a century
Having shipped five goals against Brighton in the Premier League last weekend, a sense of trepidation among those packed in the lower tier of the Bridgford Stand would have been inevitable.
Yet there was endeavour, spirit and discipline shown by the Sky Blues in spades at the City Ground.
The tenacious Matt Grimes never gave Forest a moment of rest in midfield while Ethan Pinnock had more blocks than a Lego set.
Coventry’s moment of unbridled joy arrived when Dasilva latched on to Rushworth’s punt forward and produced the crispest of finishes.
It was their first goal in the English top flight since Mustapha Hadji netted in a 3-2 defeat by Aston Villa on 5 May 2001 – 25 years, four months and 14 days ago.
Coventry then reacquainted themselves with their defensive fortitude.
It was embodied by Thomas, who was in the right place at the right time on numerous occasions – not least when he hooked a Jesus dink off the line.
Lampard ran to the delirious away fans end at full-time to savour the moment.