Nottingham Forest: Everything MOTD said about ‘fantastic’ Matz Sels after draw vs Aston Villa: ‘Take a bow…’
Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels was lauded on Match of the Day for his performance as his team drew 1-1 with Aston Villa on Sunday.
A Murillo own goal put the visitors ahead in the 23rd minute at the City Ground, before Neco Williams struck to earn a valuable point for his team on the stroke of half-time.
The draw keeps Vitor Pereira’s side three points clear of the relegation zone, despite West Ham’s win last Friday, and Premier League survival is now within sight for the Reds.
However, it could have been a very different outcome for the East Midlands outfit were it not for the efforts of their goalkeeper, who made an eye-catching five saves throughout the 90 minutes.
Sels’ future has been up in the air of late amid links with Club Brugge, but he played a typically crucial role in Forest’s hard-earned point.
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VISIT THE FOREST MATCH HUBBen Foster thinks Matz Sels earned Nottingham Forest their point
Sels has been a crucial part of Forest’s efforts to beat the drop this season, and his work has been particularly invaluable in recent weeks.
The 34-year-old has two clean sheets from his last three Premier League appearances, and while the hat-trick may have eluded him on Sunday, he still made some important interventions to help his team avoid defeat.
| Stats | Sels Total |
| Saves | 5 |
| Goals Prevented | 0.78 |
| Accurate Passes | 19/25 (76%) |
| Recoveries | 5 |
| Acted as Sweeper | 1 |
Former Manchester United and West Brom gloveman Ben Foster was in awe of the Belgian’s display during his analysis on Match of the Day, and he picked out saves from Ollie Watkins and John McGinn as the best examples of his quality work.
He began his analysis by telling Sels to “take a bow” before later labelling his performance as the driving reason behind his team avoiding defeat.
“Matz Sels take a bow,” the 43-year-old said on Match of the Day.
“It was a brilliant performance today, he really did earn Forest a point. You can see here, the touch from Watkins is just a little too far for him, and Sels rushes out and puts that big toe out and just puts it past the post, fantastic save.
“This one here is the save of the game. Sels knows exactly where he’s going here, John McGinn, he manages to slam the anchors on, but then it’s about making the save. Not only is it a good contact, but it puts it out for a corner as well.
“It was a fantastic performance from him today.”
Reds have clear stance over Matz Sels future
Football Insider revealed earlier this week that Forest have no intention of selling Sels this summer, despite him being set to enter the final year of his contract.
Club Brugge have identified him as a replacement for the outgoing Simon Mignolet, and although they are set to potentially provide a route for Forest to be able to cash in, they have no interest in losing their number one.
Sources say that the Reds view the veteran as being one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers since he arrived in England back in 2024, and they are keen to keep hold of him for another year at least.
Forest’s stance regarding his future is clear and decisive, but it could potentially see them risk losing him on a free transfer at the end of next season.
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