Nottingham Forest manager Ange Postecoglou endured another difficult afternoon as his side fell behind to Bruno Guimarães’ superb strike in a 2–0 defeat to Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

The opening 45 minutes were scrappy and physical, with both teams battling fiercely for control in midfield rather than producing clear scoring chances. It was always likely that a single moment of quality would break the deadlock — and Guimarães delivered it in style, smashing a long-range effort past Matz Sels to put the hosts in front.

For Postecoglou, who came into the match still chasing his first win after six games in charge, it was a bitter blow. As the ball hit the net, the Australian manager could be seen shaking his head in frustration while several Forest players surrounded the referee, protesting a perceived foul in the build-up.

The controversy stemmed from the challenge that led to the goal — Guimarães had dispossessed Morgan Gibbs-White with what looked, at first glance, like a heavy tackle. Dan Burn quickly recycled the ball back to the Brazilian, who made no mistake with his finish. Despite Forest’s protests, replays showed that Guimarães got a touch on the ball before colliding with Gibbs-White, meaning VAR did not intervene.

Clearly unsettled by the setback, Postecoglou reacted by making a triple substitution just minutes later in an effort to spark a response. However, things went from bad to worse for Forest late on when Elliot Anderson, a former Newcastle player, conceded a penalty that Nick Woltemade confidently converted to seal the points for the Magpies.

Football magazine FourFourTwo noted that Forest had every right to feel aggrieved given the physical nature of the challenge, but ultimately agreed that the officials made the correct call.

Speaking after the match, Guimarães defended his role in the incident, telling Sky Sports:

“First, I touched the ball. Never, never a foul.”

For Forest supporters, though, the greater concern may be their manager’s demeanor. Postecoglou appeared visibly deflated at full-time, showing little of the fiery energy or rallying presence fans had hoped for. Just weeks into his tenure, the Australian already finds himself under scrutiny — with echoes of the difficult spell he endured at Tottenham beginning to resurface.