Matz Sels brilliant, Chris Wood disappears – Nottingham Forest ratings vs Everton
Nottingham Forest slumped to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Everton in a huge blow to their chances of qualifying for the Champions League next season.
The visitors had the first chance of the game, when Jack Harrison threaded the ball to James Garner in the box only for his low driven shot to be parried out by Matz Sels into the danger area.
The two main talking points came in two VAR reviews which saw Jarrad Branthwaite lucky to escape with no punishment following an incident off the ball with Jota Silva and Murillo fortunate to see his challenge on Beto be deemed not a penalty.
In a game which lacked any attacking quality until the fourth minute of added time at the end, it was David Moyes’ side which were brave enough to win it.
Substitute Dwight Mcneil slipped Abdoulaye Doucoure through on goal, with the midfielder making no mistake to finish past Sels.
Matz Sels unlucky to not keep another clean sheet
Matz Sels – 8 – Man of the Match
Hugely unlucky. The 33-year-old has kept his side in the game for much of it, making some excellent saves throughout.
Neco Williams – 6
A steady game for Williams back in his natural position, made a crucial block to deny Abdoulaye Doucoure at the back post.
Nikola Milenkovic – 6
The better of the two centre-backs, but in a game of very little attacking quality it was not particularly difficult for him.
An unusually poor performance from Murillo in defence
Murillo – 4
Very poor. It was a poor performance from Murillo who gave away possession to McNeil for the goal.
Alex Moreno – 5
Had a tough afternoon up against Harrison who certainly got the better of the battle throughout the match.
Nicolas Dominguez (off for Ryan Yates 75′) – 5
It was a familiar story for Nuno Espiritio Santo’s men, as there 41% possession meant key midfield players such as Dominguez.
Elliot Anderson – 6
Anderson was unable to get a proper foothold in the game, the stop start rhythm did not help either.
Jota Silva (off for Anthony Elanga 59′) – 6
The winger had his best moments when drifting off the right into more central areas and was Forest’s brightest spark in the first-half, however lacked the quality when it really mattered.
Morgan Gibbs-White unable to inspire Nottingham Forest
Morgan Gibbs-White – 6
Not at his best. Gibbs-White struggled as Nottingham Forest kept surrendering possession and were unable to gain a foothold in an attacking sense.
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 7
The only positive going forward for the home side. The winger attempted to beat his marker on multiple occasions but did not have the support from his teammates.
Chris Wood – 4
Anonymous. On his first start since returning from injury, Wood was unable to pick up from where he left off, as he was largely ineffective throughout.
Substitutes
Anthony Elanga (on for Jota Silva 59′) – 6
After a couple of matches out of the side with injury, Elanga struggled to get up to speed.
Ryan Yates (on for Nicolas Dominguez 75′) – 5
In his short time on the pitch, the midfielder did not have any notable involvement.