Yahoo News Sarah Clapson's Nottingham Forest player ratings - low marks as Reds beaten by Everton
Nottingham Forest’s Premier League status remains very much in the balance with four games to go after they lost 2-0 to relegation rivals Everton at Goodison Park.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were looking to end what had been a bad week off the pitch on a positive note against their relegation rivals. The clash on Merseyside came on the back of the club coming under fire for hiking the cost of season cards for 2024/25.
The Reds started brightly and Neco Williams forced an early save from Jordan Pickford. However, the hosts soon took control of the game and tried to put their opponents under pressure with a string of set-pieces.
READ MORE: How the action unfolded at Goodison Park
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As it turned out, the opener didn’t come from a dead-ball situation. Ola Aina’s headed clearance from a cross fell to Idrissa Gueye outside the box and he drilled it into the far corner in the 29th minute.
Pickford made a big save to deny Chris Wood from point-blank range as the visitors tried to respond. Forest felt they did not get any help from the officials, though, with two Callum Hudson-Odoi penalty appeals waved either side of the break to go with an earlier one from Gio Reyna.
And with nothing going their way, the Reds found themselves 2-0 down with 15 minutes to go when Dwight McNeil’s shot from outside the box went in off the post. That goal pretty much killed off any hopes Nuno’s side had of getting something from the game, leaving them one point above the bottom three.
Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players...
Matz Sels: Didn’t get a lot of help from his teammates when it came to the goals conceded. Might well have done better, though, especially as both came from outside the box. Rating: 4.5/10
Neco Williams: No shortage of effort from the Welshman, and he at least looked like he had a bit of fight about him. Just let down by end product with his final ball. Rating: 5/10
Moussa Niakhate: Looked rusty, unsurprisingly as this was the Senegal international’s first appearance in the Garibaldi since February. Had a few sloppy moments. Rating: 4.5/10
Murillo: Did the centre-back partnership of two left-footers work? The Brazilian did his best to try to get a grip on things, but this was a poor afternoon all round. Rating: 4.5/10
Ola Aina: Headed clearance fell straight to Gueye to open the scoring, and that rather summed things up. The visitors needed him to provide more of an outlet going forward, too. Rating: 4.5/10
Nicolas Dominguez: Nuno’s decision to bring in the Argentine to mix up his midfield was understandable, but it didn’t exactly have the desired effect. Forest struggled to get control of the game. Rating: 5/10
Danilo: Well below-par from the Brazilian. After doing well in recent games, it was a drop off in standard. Punished for not closing down quicker for both of Everton’s goals. Rating: 4/10
Gio Reyna: Lacked sharpness on his second start for the club and was unable to build on last weekend’s display. Having said that, could well have had a penalty in the first half. Rating: 4.5/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: Had a big chance to level the scoring on the hour mark but put his effort wide. Got to take those kind of opportunities in these games. Not his usual influential self. Rating: 5/10
Callum Hudson-Odoi: What did he need to do to get a penalty? Two strong claims for a spot-kick and neither given. Add them to the list of poor officiating decisions this season. Rating: 5/10
Chris Wood: Would have banked on him to find the back of the net from close-range before the break, especially given his recent form. Took a big save to keep him out. Didn’t really get in the game otherwise. Rating: 5/10
Substitutes
Anthony Elanga (for Reyna, 56mins): Made a difference when he came on. Tried to get Forest going and his pace was a threat when he ran at the hosts. Rating: 5.5/10
Ryan Yates (for Dominguez, 79mins): Booked within about a minute of coming on for a poor foul. Perhaps a case of trying too hard to get in the game. Rating: 5/10
Rodrigo Ribeiro (for Danilo, 79mins): A big ask for the youngster to make any kind of impact as he came on with the Reds 2-0 down. Game was already gone at that point. Rating: 5/10
Divock Origi (for Hudson-Odoi, 80mins): One of three changes made after Everton’s second. Anything the Reds did after that was always going to be too little, too late. Rating: 5/10
Not used: Turner, Sangare, Toffolo, Montiel, Omobamidele.
