Forest picked up their first win of the new season with a narrow but dominant display over Southampton at St Marys Stadium.
Nuno Espírito Santo began with Matz Sels in goal and a back four of Neco Williams, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo and Ola Aina.
Ibrahim Sangaré played the holding role in the midfield alongside Elliot Anderson making his full debut, whilst Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga all supported Chris Wood in attack.
Forest dictated a first half that ended goalless despite numerous chances from both set pieces and on the counter attack.
The first sign of the pace the Forest attack contained was after quarter of an hour when Aina and Hudson-Odoi combined well down the left flank, resulting in a cross that Wood could only head straight at Alex McCarthy in the Saints goal.
Sangaré had an effort from outside the box tipped over the bar by McCarthy in the 24th minute and the following quarter of an hour saw the travelling Trees, sporting their new third shirt, dominate.
Gibbs-White awkwardly fired over after Southampton failed to clear a corner two minutes later, before Wood's volley across the face of goal couldn’t be turned in by Milenkovic ten minutes before half time.
Neco Williams bent a shot wide from just outside the Southampton penalty area concluding a one-sided first half.
After the break, Elanga showed fine pace and close control to win a corner after a direct run from the halfway line, and it wasn’t too long after before the deadlock was deservedly broken.
Southampton failed to clear their lines from a corner before the loose ball in the box fell to Morgan Gibbs-White who finished from close range.
Elanga and Hudson Odoi both forced McCarthy into sharp stops late into the second half, but Forest held strong to pick up their first three points of new campaign.