Riccardo Scimeca's first-half free-kick saw Nottm Forest take all three points against Coventry City at Highfield Road.
The harsh life of a football manager was emphasised once more to Gary McAllister, whose side played their best football of the season yet came away pointless.
Coventry tore into Forest from the start with wing-back Dean Gordon finding plenty of space down the left.
John Eustace, playing a more advanced role just behind the front two, came close in the first minute with a low drive, then looked to have been bundled over in the boxBut it was the visitors who took the lead after 14 minutes with their first attempt on goal.
McAllister handled the ball 25 yards out and Scimeca stepped up to curl the ball expertly past Morten Hyldgaard.
The goal was a hammer blow for City who had been the far superior side and had the opposite effect on Forest, who started to look much sharper.
David Johnson twice was unlucky not to get on the end of long balls forward, then the Jamaican-born striker shot over after skipping past Gary Caldwell on the edge of the box.
He then rattled the crossbar from 25 yards, before being denied by a fantastic Hyldgaard save.
Coventry came flying out traps in the second half, and set up camp around the Forest box for the first ten minutes.
Scimeca did well to scramble the ball away from Gary McSheffrey and the Forest defence desperately defended two corners.
The home side continued to pile forward but struggled to carve out any clear-cut chances as the Forest defence, inspired by the impressive Jon Olav Hjelde, comfortably kept a clean sheet