Ange Postecoglou’s difficult start as Nottingham Forest manager continued on Wednesday as his side surrendered a two-goal lead in second-half stoppage time to crash out of the League Cup with a stunning 3-2 defeat to second-tier Swansea City. The late collapse marks the Australian’s second successive loss since taking over at the City Ground.
Forest appeared to be cruising toward a comfortable victory after a dominant first half. Forward Igor Jesus opened his account for the club in the 14th minute, firing in a rebound at the far post. He doubled the lead just before the break, capping off a slick team move to give the Premier League side a commanding lead.
For much of the second half, a Forest win seemed inevitable. However, a glimmer of hope emerged for Swansea with just over 20 minutes remaining when Cameron Burgess found space from a corner to head home and make it 2-1.
The real drama was reserved for stoppage time. Slovenian substitute Zan Vipotnik leveled the score in the 93rd minute, sending the game spiraling toward a penalty shootout. But the home side wasn’t done yet. In the dying moments of the match, Burgess pounced on a rebound after Ethan Galbraith’s powerful shot rattled the woodwork, slotting the ball into the net and sending the home crowd into raptures.
The heartbreaking loss follows a 3-0 Premier League defeat to Arsenal on Saturday, leaving Postecoglou with two losses and six goals conceded from his first two games in charge.
