Forest win second seven-goal thriller at City Ground
Nottingham Forest suggested life is not going to be dull under Philippe Montanier at the City Ground as they beat Wigan to notch up their second 4-3 win of the season on home turf.
The Latics thought they had snatched a point when Will Grigg's second of the game saw them equalise for the third time in the 86th minute but Thomas Lam had other ideas with an injury-time winner.
Prior to that, Britt Assombalonga had put Forest ahead, before Michael Jacobs equalised for the first time. Oliver Burke netted two well-taken goals to twice put Forest in control, with Grigg twice finishing from close range to level - but Lam had the final say as Montanier's Reds followed up their 4-3 win over Burton on the opening day with another.
An error at the back from Wigan after just six minutes was roundly punished. Dan Burn's back-pass was woefully short of pace, allowing Assombalonga to stride clear and slot a low finish beyond the advancing Adam Bogdan.
Forest's lead was to last only five minutes before some poor defending cost them. Lam failed to close down Alex Gilbey as he angled into the box from the Wigan right and he duly used the space to cut the ball back for Jacobs to slot home from 10 yards.
Assombalonga was forced off after 15 minutes with what looked to be a hamstring problem and was replaced by Apostolos Vellios but Forest still almost added another goal as Matty Cash bent a first-time, 20-yard shot against the post, with Bogdan recovering to deny Pajtim Kasami from the rebound.
Vellios almost got himself a goal with one of his first touches as he attacked an Osborn cross with a volley at the near post, but Bogdan saved well.
The Wigan keeper had to be at his best again after Chris Cohen sent Burke skipping clear down the middle, with the keeper closing the angle well. Burke's superb pass to Osborn carved out another chance but Osborn's low, angled effort rolled the wrong side of the post.
Forest finished the half looking the more likely to score, with Kasami bending a shot inches wide of the upright in injury time.
And it took only eight minutes of the second half for them to take the lead for a second time. A superb cross-field ball from Cohen was equally well controlled by Burke, on his chest as he powered into the box, before the teenager finished confidently to make it 2-1.
Forest should have killed things off when a Craig Morgan foul on Cohen earned them a penalty but Bogdan dived to his left to save from Vellios. Five minutes later, when Luke Garbutt's cross was deflected, Grigg nipped in at the near post to head beyond Henderson and make it 2-2.
There was more drama to come, with Cash picking out a perfect pass to send Burke into the box from the right and the winger producing another composed finish, slotting a low shot inside the far post.
That was not the final twist either, as Forest defended a Garbutt throw-in poorly to allowing Grigg time to make it 3-3 on for Forest to take the lead for the fourth time in the 93rd minute as Hildeberto Pereira danced beyond three men down the Reds' right before cutting the ball back for Lam to drive home emphatically.
Source: PA
