Anthony Elanga reacts as Ibrahim Sangare swipes at Nottingham Forest in message
Ibrahim Sangare couldn’t hide his disappointment after Nottingham Forest’s Champions League hopes took a hit against Crystal Palace.
Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side missed the chance to make up ground on the Premier League’s top five clubs, with all of the teams above sixth-placed Forest currently on course for a spot in Europe’s elite next term.
A 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park required a Forest fightback from 1-0 down to equalise just four minutes later, but they failed to build on Murillo’s strike and were lucky that Eberechi Eze was unable to find a winner.
The Reds have just three games left this season to claw their way back into the top five places, and given their current run of form has seen them slip from third to sixth, it’s a race against time for Forest to react.
Ibrahim Sangare wants ‘more’ from Nottingham Forest
Sangare’s career at the City Ground has been bit-part at best, and injuries have limited the Ivorian to just 27 Premier League appearances across two seasons with six starts made in the current campaign.
A lengthy period on the sidelines from mid-September until the end of January has left Forest without their £30million midfielder, albeit that has opened the door for the likes of Elliot Anderson to excel.
| Position | Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GD | Points |
| 3 | Manchester City | 35 | 19 | 7 | 9 | +24 | 64 |
| 4 | Newcastle United | 35 | 19 | 6 | 10 | +21 | 63 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 35 | 18 | 9 | 8 | +21 | 63 |
| 6 | Nottingham Forest | 35 | 18 | 7 | 10 | +12 | 61 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 35 | 17 | 9 | 9 | +6 | 60 |
After Forest’s draw at Selhurst Park, Sangare posted on Instagram (6 May) and shared his apparent frustration at his lack of game time: “Aimed for more, eyes on the next game.”
Anthony Elanga has been a much more consistent and impressive performer for Forest this term, and commented; “Mon Vieux” on Sangare’s post, which translates from French as “my old man”.
Anthony Elanga under pressure to finish the job for Forest
While Sangare was booked in the 67th minute and hooked soon afterwards, Elanga saw out the full 90 in South London, as Nuno has no need to manage the Swedish flyer’s minutes for the rest of the season.
Forest’s failure to reach the FA Cup final last month leaves their league position as the only way to secure European football, and the Champions League is a competition which Evangelos Marinakis will bank on.
Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi’s places out wide will be secure regardless, but with players of Matheus Cunha’s calibre linked with moves to the City Ground, a Champions League spot will be the only way for Forest to mix in with Europe’s big hitters.