Latest Nottingham Forest verdict as Vitor Pereira’s Reds beat Fenerbahce 3-0 in first leg of Europa League play-off
19:42, 19 Feb 2026Updated 19:47, 19 Feb 2026
Nottingham Forest players celebrate(Image: BSR Agency/Getty Images)
Vitor Pereira made a dream start to his tenure as Nottingham Forest head coach as his team toppled Fenerbahce 3-0 in the first leg of their Europa League play-off.
The Reds will take a healthy lead into the return fixture against their Turkish opponents next Thursday. Goals from Murillo, Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White has put them in the driving seat in the bid for a place in the last 16 of the competition.
Appointed as Sean Dyche’s replacement on Sunday, it was a case of straight in at the deep end for Pereira. Avoiding relegation from the Premier League is the new man’s priority but the Reds still have designs on going far in Europe.
Coming up against his former club, the new Forest boss had made it clear there would be no holding back in the first leg. His intention was to go back to the City Ground with an advantage in hand, and his team set about securing that from the off amid an electric atmosphere in Istanbul.
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Whistles from the home fans grew louder and louder as the Reds dominated possession early on. It took time for clearcut chances to come, but when the breakthrough did arrive it did so in some style.
Murillo took the bull by the horns as he charged forward from just in front of the halfway line in the 21st minute. The defender then let fly from outside the box to put his team in front with a superb opener.
It could have been 2-0 shortly after but Morgan Gibbs-White sent a header from Omari Hutchinson’s cross straight to Ederson. Forest continued to push forward, though, and they got their reward on the stroke of half-time.
Having survived a VAR check for a potential penalty against Murillo, the Reds immediately went back on the attack. An Elliot Anderson corner was flicked on by Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus was on hand to head in at the back post with 43 minutes on the clock.
It had been an excellent half from Pereira’s side, and they were good value for their lead. Fenerbahce fired a warning shot after the restart, with Stefan Ortega called into action to push away Sidiki Cherif’s fierce strike. But Forest soon added a third and killed the game off when Gibbs-White provided the finish from Jesus’ squared ball, with VAR ruling there was no offside. Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the Chobani Stadyumu.
Stefan Ortega: Didn’t have many saves to make but ensured he was alert at the start of the second half to deny Cherif after some of his teammates had been caught napping. Contributed well with some fine distribution. Rating: 8/10
Ola Aina: Given license to push forward and get up the pitch, and he made the most of that freedom by constantly looking to get on the front foot. Still not quite at his top level but certainly played his part. Rating: 7.5/10
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Nikola Milenkovic: Had relatively little defending to do as the Reds were firmly in control of this one. Tried to make an impact at the other end of the pitch when he could – wasn’t too far away with a second-half header in that regard. Rating: 8/10
Murillo: Has been threatening to score a goal like that for the last two-and-a-half years. Was always going to happen one day, and what a time to get it. Absolutely brilliant from the Brazilian. Rating: 8.5/10
Neco Williams: Much like Aina, made the most of being allowed to push forward and helped set up a chance for Gibbs-White midway through the first half. Bags of energy and commitment, as you’d expect from the Welshman. Rating: 8/10
Ibrahim Sangare: Midfield in general looked much more efficient and effective than of late. An authoritative performance from the former PSV man, who looks like he will continue to be a key figure under the new head coach. Rating: 8.5/10
Elliot Anderson: Forest had the luxury of being able to bring the England international off with little more than 20 minutes to go, after he had put a big shift in. Hasn’t always got his set-piece delivery right this season, but he did with the corner for the second goal. Rating: 8.5/10
Omari Hutchinson: Has had to wait for his chance in Europe, having not being included in Forest’s squad for the league phase. Seemed to enjoy showing what he can do on the continental stage and had a few bright moments. Rating: 8/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: Goal should act as a big confidence booster for Forest’s No.10, especially as he had already had a couple of chances before that one went in. Deserved to get on the scoresheet as he had been lively all night, even if the final bit of quality wasn’t always there. Rating: 8/10
Callum Hudson-Odoi: Did his best to try to add to the visitors’ goal tally by having a few pops at goal. Kept trying to have an impact and keep the momentum going, even when it wasn’t quite going his way. Rating: 7.5/10
Igor Jesus: Certainly has a knack of finding the back of the net in the Europa League as that was his seventh of the tournament. It came at an important time, too. Unselfishly teed up Gibbs-White for Forest’s third to complete a good night’s work all round. Rating: 8/10
Subs
Lorenzo Lucca (for Jesus, 61mins): Didn’t really get an opportunity to make his mark up front. Will be interesting to see who gets the nod to start up front against Liverpool on Sunday. Rating: 6/10
Dan Ndoye (for Hutchinson, 61mins): Seemed to have a bit more confidence and threat about him than he has done in recent appearances. Hopefully the winger can build on that. Rating: 7.5/10
Ryan Yates (for Gibbs-White, 67mins): Game was pretty much won by the time Pereira turned to his bench. Still, valuable minutes for the club captain under the new head coach. Rating: 7/10
Nicolas Dominguez (for Anderson, 67mins): A little sloppy soon after entering the fray, then squandered a decent opportunity to put some more gloss on the scoreline. Battled well, though, Rating: 6.5/10
James McAtee (for Hudson-Odoi, 83mins): A fresh start under Pereira can hopefully help the summer signing. Didn’t get long on this occasion, but will hope more chances come his way. Rating: 6/10
Subs not used: Gunn, Willows, Morato, Jair, Bakwa, Abbott.
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