Yahoo News Sarah Clapson's Nottingham Forest player ratings - Wood brace sees Reds end season with win
Nottingham Forest ended the season with a 2-1 victory at Burnley to make absolutely sure of another campaign in the Premier League.
The Reds went into their clash against the Clarets with safety all but secured. They were three points ahead of 18th-placed Luton Town before kick-off and had a significantly better goal difference.
Nevertheless, Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo had made clear he wasn’t going to take anything for granted and wanted his team to get the job done. Chris Wood put them on course to doing just that with a brace inside the opening 15 minutes.
READ MORE: How the action unfolded at Turf Moor
READ MORE: Forest transfer state of play as key summer looms
The front man opened the scoring against his old club with just two minutes gone when he slotted in Anthony Elanga’s ball. And he got his second soon after, following a long VAR check for a potential offside, when he diverted a Ryan Yates drive into the bottom corner. The New Zealander could have had a hat-trick just past the half hour mark but couldn’t quite connect with a Morgan Gibbs-White free-kick.
It was a fairly comfortable 45 minutes for the visitors, with Matz Sels going untested at the opposite end of the pitch despite Burnley having 75 percent of the possession. Forest had chances to build on their lead after the break, with Wood, Gibbs-White and Murillo trying their luck.
The hosts made the most of that profligacy in front of goal by pulling one back when Josh Cullen’s effort deflected off Murillo with 15 minutes to go, but Forest saw out the win. Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at Turf Moor.
Matz Sels: A real shame he couldn’t end the campaign with a clean-sheet. Had a relatively quiet afternoon as Burnley were wasteful in front of goal. Just got unlucky with the deflected strike. Rating: 6.5/10
Gonzalo Montiel: Likely to have been the Argentine’s final appearance for the club ahead of his loan coming to an end. Got a war wound for his trouble as he took a blow to the head and wore a bandage for much of the game. Rating: 7/10
Willy Boly: Not much was getting past the centre-back. Made several big interventions in a typical display showing how important a player he is. Forest need to get that new deal signed. Rating: 8/10
Murillo: Newly-crowned as Forest’s player of the season, the defender put in the kind of performance worthy of the title. A goal would have been the icing on the cake - and he did go close. Was unfortunate with Burnley’s goal. Rating: 8/10
Harry Toffolo: Back in the starting XI and was generally solid enough, even if he didn’t get forward as much as he might have done. Got a lot of love from a buoyant away end. Rating: 7/10
Ryan Yates: Signed off for the summer with another fine performance to cap a good run of form in the final weeks of the season. Went off with what seemed to be a slight knock. Rating: 7.5/10
Danilo: Played some nice passes as Forest looked to hit Burnley on the counter. Midfield had to work hard as the hosts had a lot of the possession. Rating: 7.5/10
Anthony Elanga: A terrific assist from the 22-year-old to get Forest off to a great start. Had some other promising moments, even if the final ball wasn’t always there. Can reflect on a good season, though. Rating: 7.5/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: At the heart of much of the Reds’ attacking play, as he usually is. Played his part in the second goal and had a couple of efforts of his own after the break. Rating: 7.5/10
Callum Hudson-Odoi: Couldn’t quite make it a third successive game with a goal, but can still reflect on an excellent first season at the club. Had some decent moments on the counter. Rating: 7/10
Chris Wood: Seems to enjoy scoring against former clubs! After a mini drought of five games without a goal - and a fair few missed chances - he took his tally to 15 for the season. No doubt he would have liked a hat-trick, though. Rating: 8/10
Subs
Ibrahim Sangare (for Yates, 58mins): A big opportunity for the midfielder, getting half an hour on the pitch. Next season will be a really important one for him. Rating: 6/10
Taiwo Awoniyi (for Wood, 79mins): More minutes for the front man. A shame he couldn’t get a start under his belt before the end of the campaign. Rating: 6/10
Moussa Niakhate (for Danilo, 80mins): Found himself on the bench as Nuno reverted to a back four to begin with. Helped see out the win. Rating: 6/10
Rodrigo Ribeiro (for Hudson-Odoi, 88mins): It remains to be seen what happens with the youngster. Will Forest opt to sign him permanently? He hasn’t had many opportunities during his loan spell. Rating: 6/10
Cheikhou Kouyate (for Elanga, 88mins): Almost certainly a farewell appearance for the midfielder. His contract runs out this summer. Rating: 6/10
Subs not used: Turner, Reyna, Origi, Omobamidele.
