Why 'Wood has to watch his back' as Igor Jesus shines

Eyebrows were raised when Nottingham Forest's teamsheet dropped for their first European game in 29 years - and Chris Wood was on the bench.

After all, it was the New Zealand forward's 20 Premier League goals last season that helped propel Forest back into Europe.

Instead, head coach Ange Postecoglou put his trust in Igor Jesus, the 24-year-old who cost £10m from Botafogo in July.

And in Forest's Europa League opener, it did not take long for the Brazil striker to show why he could prove to be one of the Premier League's most exciting additions.

With his side trailing 1-0 to Real Betis in Seville, Igor Jesus levelled with a tap-in before heading Forest into a 2-1 lead from a corner less than five minutes later.

But former Manchester United forward Antony levelled in the 85th minute to deny Forest a victory in the first of eight league phase games.

But what now for Wood, who was an unused substitute? And will Igor Jesus keep his place in the starting XI?

"Chris Wood definitely has to watch his back," said former Forest and West Ham forward Michail Antonio on TNT Sports.

Igor Jesus celebrated both goals against Betis by dropping to his knees and pointing to the sky.

In an action-packed performance, he had six of Forest's 16 attempts, of which three were on target.

Full of energy and running, he could have had a first-half hat-trick but his goalbound attempt - after Elliot Anderson's brilliant jinking run - was blocked before Postecoglou decided to replace him in the 64th minute.

The 5,000 travelling Forest fans, in Seville to see their team's first competitive European match since 1996, gave Igor Jesus a standing ovation when he came off.

"He definitely looks like a real threat," added Antonio.

"He even had a couple of other opportunities, half opportunities he took quite well as well. His movement, his hold-up play... he seems big, he seems strong."

Igor Jesus made his Brazil debut last October, scoring in a 2-1 World Cup qualifying win in difficult conditions in Chile.

In June, he scored Botafogo's winner against European champions Paris St-Germain at the Club World Cup, with his performance in that game prompting South American football expert Tim Vickery to label him the modern-day version of former Ivory Coast and Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.

"For Ange tonight - what a shout," said former Forest and England midfielder Steve Hodge on BBC Radio Nottingham about Postecoglou's decision to start with Igor Jesus and put Wood on the bench.

"Igor Jesus has made his mark tonight."

Having scored twice against Swansea City in the Carabao Cup last week, Igor Jesus now has four goals in two starts for his new club.

Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, who impressed against Betis, believes the Brazilian could be a key figure for the team this season.

"He's always in the right position, which is obviously a big thing for a striker," he told TNT Sports. "He's done well and got two goals and two goals the other week, so he's doing really well and we see it in training. I'm really happy for Igor."

Wood has been phenomenal for Forest since turning his loan from Newcastle into a permanent move in 2023.

Only Mohamed Salah (29), Alexander Isak (23) and Erling Haaland (22) scored more goals in the Premier League than Wood last season.

He started this season from where he left off last term with two goals in the 3-1 opening weekend win over Brentford under Nuno Espirito Santo.

Wood, 33, has also started both Premier League games since Postecoglou replaced Nuno - the 3-0 defeat at Arsenal and the 1-1 draw at Burnley.

But it remains to be seen whether he will return to side for the visit of Sunderland on Saturday (17:30 BST) - Postecoglou's first in charge of Forest at the City Ground.

"From Chris' point of view, he won't be happy tonight - he will be want to be out there in big games like this," added Hodge on BBC Radio Nottingham.

Meanwhile, Postecoglou remains without a win after four games in charge despite Wednesday's largely positive performance.

After defeats by Arsenal in the league and Swansea City in the EFL Cup, followed by a draw at Burnley, Wednesday's performance was much more upbeat and Forest were set to mark their return to Europe with a win until Antony's late equaliser.

"I thought our football was outstanding at times in the first half," said Postecoglou.

"The thing I could fault is we didn't put the game to bed. I'm just disappointed that the players and supporters don't get the rewards for our efforts.

"I've just got to make sure they keep their heads up because there's plenty to be positive about, and the wins will come."