[7] In that 1898 FA Cup final at Crystal Palace before 62,000 fans, Willie Wragg passed a 19th minute free kick to Arthur Capes.

The club was relegated a second time to the Second Division in 1911, and had to seek re-election in 1914 after finishing bottom of that tier; as the First World War approached it was in serious financial trouble.

Despite late Allan Brown and Billy Bingham chances Chick Thomson conceded no further goals for Forest to beat the Wembley 1950s 'hoodoo' (where one team was hampered by losing a player through injury).

Johnny Carey assembled a team including Joe Baker and Ian Storey-Moore that for a long spell went largely unchanged in challenging for the 1966–67 Football League title.

[14] Injuries eventually took effect, meaning Forest had to settle for being League runners-up and losing in the FA Cup semi-final to Dave Mackay's Tottenham Hotspur.

[16] Scottish centre-forward Neil Martin scored the only goal in Clough's first game in charge, beating Tottenham Hotspur in an FA Cup third round replay.

[28] This kept Forest in the third promotion spot in the league table and dependent on Bolton Wanderers dropping points in three games in hand in the fight for third place.

[34] They beat Liverpool 1–0 in the 1978 Football League Cup final replay despite cup-tied Shilton, Gemmill and December signing David Needham missing out.

They beat Hamburg 1–0 in the 1980 European Cup final at Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium to retain the trophy; after 20 minutes, Robertson scored, after exchanging passes with Birtles,[47] and Forest then defended solidly.

Despite these trophy wins, and a third-place finish in the First Division, Forest were unable to compete in the UEFA Cup, as English clubs were still banned from European competitions following the Heysel Stadium Disaster.

Up against Tottenham Hotspur, Forest took the lead from a Pearce free kick, but Spurs equalised to take the game to extra-time, ultimately winning 2–1 after an own goal by Walker.

On 16 August 1992, Forest beat Liverpool 1–0 at home in the first-ever Premier League game to be televised live, with Sheringham scoring the only goal of the match.

Former England captain David Platt succeeded Atkinson and spent approximately £12 million on players in the space of two seasons, including the Italian veterans Moreno Mannini, Salvatore Matrecano and Gianluca Petrachi.

A poor league run the following season, following the loss of several key players, led to the sacking of Hart in February 2004 with Forest in danger of relegation.

[78] In Forest's first season in the English third tier in 54 years, a 3–0 defeat at Oldham Athletic[79] in February 2006 led to the departure of Megson by "mutual consent" leaving the club mid-table only four points above the relegation zone.

Forest eventually succumbed to a shock 5–4 aggregate defeat in the semi-finals against Yeovil Town; they had taken a 2–0 lead in the first leg at Huish Park, but were then beaten 5–2 on their own soil by the Somerset club.

[85] Billy Davies, who had taken Forest's local rivals Derby County into the Premier League two seasons earlier, was confirmed as the new manager on 1 January 2009[86] and watched Pemberton's side beat Manchester City 3–0 away in the FA Cup,[87] prior to taking official charge.

The 2010–11 season saw Forest finish in sixth place in the Championship table with 75 points,[89] putting them into a play-off campaign for the fourth time in the space of eight years.

[94][95] Forest started the 2011–12 season with several poor results and after a 5–1 defeat away to Burnley, David Pleat and Bill Beswick left the club's coaching setup.

[104] Forest supporters and pundits alike registered their concern for the state of the club,[99] with journalist Pat Murphy describing the situation as a "shambles".

[108] After initially rejecting the job in March 2014,[109] fans favourite Stuart Pearce was named the man to replace Billy Davies, taking over from caretaker manager Gary Brazil.

Former Boulogne, Valenciennes, Real Sociedad, and Rennes head coach Philippe Montanier was appointed on a two-year contract on 27 June 2016 becoming the club's first manager from outside the British isles, but was sacked after fewer than seven months in charge.

Forest narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of the 2016–17 season, where a 3–0 home victory against Ipswich Town ensured their safety at the expense of Blackburn Rovers.

[113] He was replaced by Spaniard Aitor Karanka, who arrived on 8 January 2018, immediately after caretaker manager Gary Brazil had masterminded a 4–2 home win over holders Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup.

Forest appointed Dane Murphy as Chief Executive, and George Syrianos was brought in as head of recruitment to bring about a more analytics driven transfer policy.

[127] In the 2022 Championship play-off semi-final, Forest defeated Sheffield United on penalties to advance to the final against Huddersfield Town,[128] who they beat 1–0 at Wembley Stadium, and were promoted to the Premier League for the first time since the 1998–99 season.

[132] Results improved temporarily, but in early April, after another poor run beset with injuries, Marinakis was forced to again say he had confidence in the manager.

[134] On 20 May 2023, Nottingham Forest sealed their Premier League status for the following season with a 1–0 home victory over Arsenal,[135] which also confirmed the title for Manchester City.

On 28 February 2019, Nottingham Forest announced plans to redevelop the City Ground and surrounding area, including the "creation of a new, world-class Peter Taylor Stand".

The club was hopeful that building work could begin at the end of the 2019-20 season, but the development was put on hold due to "delays in the planning process".