Nottingham Forest 2
MGW 48, Savona 50
ManUre 2
Casemiro 34, Diallo 81

  EVERYBODY KNOWS...

• Everybody knows that official incompetence leads to anger and lack of focus in the players. The ManUre corner which led to the first goal was awarded by a linesman who could not only see through two goalposts but was overwhelmed by that wave of panic and stupidity which happens to officials when they haven't got a clue what they're doing. So while the Forest players were harbouring thoughts of murder, Casemiro scored.
• Everybody knows that the way to get MGW into some kind of form is to criticise the hell out of him. So while we bemoaned his lack of effectiveness, he goes and heads in a very neat goal from Yates's cross. That's two in three games, isn't it?
• Everybody knows that there was something very dodgy about the Douglas Luiz deal, and now we are seeing how fragile a commodity he is. But his substitution provided a chance for Ryan Yates who, though not possessing Luiz's silky skills, brings greater combativeness and endurance to the midfield. And that secure feeling that he won't fall to bits at the drop of a hat.
• Everybody knows that team spirit is improving markedly under the gravelly instruction of Sean Dyche. Better team spirit leads to greater effort leads to greater enthusiasm leads to greater confidence. You could see it. Individual players are recovering from the crappy misdirection of Prepostecoglou. Savona's goal was coolly taken. CHO was occasionally brilliant and plain unlucky. Jesus is turning out to be the most promising of the signings, and Anderson was the best cheese on the platter. Or was it Neco 'Welsh rarebit' Williams? Get it?
• Everybody knows that the clearance which preceded ManUre's equaliser was not, as described in the press, "a weak header". It was a decent enough header. It was just that Amad's shot was spectacular. To categorise that as "another set piece mistake" is pushing things a bit.
• Everybody knows that whispering things quietly makes them come true. So Forest are not going to get relegated. Not this season anyway.
• Everybody knows that nobody is interested in the fact that Amorim was appointed one year ago to the day of this match. Such information is relevant only to the idle journalists who failed to watch the game properly in a London pub. Other instances of pointless stuff are any of Amorim's views on the match, and the term "thriller" applied to a series of events leading to cardiac failure.
• Everybody knows that if we had played ManUre in a few weeks time, we would have improved to the extent that we would give them a sound beating. Although time does not work in circles, nor does it breed competent referees, it is always a good friend to honest managers.
• Everybody knows that Sean Dyche will eventually lose his voice. No one can sound like a meat grinder forever. This sad loss will be commemorated at the luxuriously extended City Ground by an hour's silence punctuated by some nostalgic and respectful throat clearing.
• Everybody knows we should cheer up. We've travelled a very bumpy track, but the Big Red Train has not run out of steam by a long, long way.