Nottingham Forest boosted their chances of reaching the UEFA Europa League knockout stages with a commanding 3-0 home victory against Malmö, extending their unbeaten run under Sean Dyche to four matches across all competitions.

Forest entered the match looking to replicate the form they showed in their 3-0 Premier League win over Liverpool at the weekend. Malmö, however, were competitive in the early stages, matching the hosts’ intensity.

Arnaud Kalimuendo came close to opening the scoring when his shot flashed just wide, before Sead Haksabanovic forced a smart save from John Victor for the visitors.

Midway through the first half, Forest broke the deadlock in a scene reminiscent of the 1979 European Cup final. Nikola Milenkovic’s cut-back found Ryan Yates, who made no mistake from 12 yards to give the hosts the lead.

Forest continued to press, but Malmö goalkeeper Melker Ellborg kept his side in the game with a stunning low save to deny Kalimuendo. A subsequent corner saw Milenkovic unmarked at six yards, only for his header to be stopped by Ellborg. Yates’ follow-up header was also saved, but Kalimuendo was on hand to net his first goal for the club and double Forest’s advantage.

The result was effectively sealed shortly after halftime when Yates’ strike fell to Milenkovic, who tapped in from close range to make it 3-0. Forest came close to a fourth almost immediately as Callum Hudson-Odoi curled a shot against the crossbar.

The only blemish on the evening was the injury to Murillo, who limped off with what appeared to be a hamstring problem, potentially ruling him out for the coming weeks.

Dyche’s men continued to press but allowed Malmö few clear-cut chances as the game wound down. The victory leaves Forest in a much stronger position in the Europa League group, sitting 16th in the table, while Malmö face the possibility of elimination, having earned just one point so far.