Wood brace earns Nottingham Forest 3-1 derby win at Leicester

LEICESTER, England :Chris Wood scored a brace as Nottingham Forest moved up to fifth in the Premier League with a 3-1 victory over hosts Leicester City in the East Midlands derby on Friday, underlining their excellent start to the season.

Ryan Yates put Forest in front with a rare goal before Jamie Vardy equalised for the home side. The visitors were much the better side in the second half and Woods’ double took them to a comfortable victory.

Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen made a stunning save from point-black range to deny Nicolas Dominguez, Forest winger Callum Hudson-Odoi struck the post and Yates missed a sitter as the visitors should have won by a greater margin.

Forest move to 16 points from nine matches and into the top five, though they have played a game more than the teams around them. Leicester stay in 14th place with nine points from as many fixtures as they continue to leak goals.

It was an accomplished performance from the visitors and a meek defeat for the hosts, who have former Forest manager Steve Cooper in their dugout, needing to find an answer to their defensive frailties.

Forest led on 16 minutes when Leicester twice failed to adequately clear from a corner and Yates drilled the ball into net from 25-yards, the second Premier League goal of his career.

First Facundo Buonanotte tried to dribble out of his own box and was dispossessed, before James Justin’s feeble clearance fell invitingly for Forest captain Yates to score.

The lead lasted seven minutes before a flowing Leicester move found Harry Winks wide on the left and his inviting ball across the six-yard box was poked into the net by Vardy.

Dominguez seemed destined to score before he was brilliantly denied by Hermansen, but Wood put the