The first half boiled and simmered, but never quite flashed into life despite both sides playing at a vibrant and frantic pace. The City Ground faithful had barely finished the final note of Mull of Kintyre when Morgan Gibbs-White whizzed his header just wide from a first minute corner, and Forest would come even closer to taking the lead five minutes later.
An almighty scramble started when Callum Hudson-Odoi was left unmarked from a deep cross, and when his shot was blocked it fell to Ryan Yates on the edge of the box, and his fierce drive was heading into the bottom corner before Sammie Szmodics blocked it on the line.
Having weathered their opponent’s stormy start, Ipswich would themselves go close midway through the first half when Cameron Burgess rose to head goalwards from a corner, but his impressive header was cleared off the line by Ola Aina. Omari Hutchinson was next to pose a threat, as he got a shot away after impressive link-up play from Liam Delap, but Matz Sels made a good save low down to keep the score goalless at HT.
It would not stay goalless for long, as two minutes after the restart Szmodics made the faintest of contacts with Silva in the box, giving Chris Wood the chance to open the scoring from the penalty spot.
The New Zealander left Ipswich goalkeeper Arijanet Muric with no chance, as he comprehensively hammered the ball down the middle of the goal to join Bryan Roy as the Tricky Trees’ PL top scorer with 24 goals. Enjoying their best start to a top-flight season in 29 years, it was a goal that unleashed the home side, with only excellent goalkeeping stopping them from doubling their lead as Muric made an incredible double stop.
Having failed to find the elusive second goal it was a nervy ending to the game, but roared home by a boisterous home crowd, Forest held on despite Ipswich’s increasingly-desperate efforts.
Ahead of a double-header against both Manchester sides in the next seven days, Nuno Espírito Santo’s side continued their unlikely success story, and with this victory go level on points with Arsenal and Chelsea.