Nottingham Forest let down by Elliot Anderson at worst possible time as midfield star outclassed by Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest saw their Europa League dreams crushed as they were beaten 4-0 away at Aston Villa on Thursday night.
It was a chastening night for Vitor Pereira’s side, who struggled to get a foothold in the game from the very beginning of the second-leg clash, and were made to pay for their poor performance.
The hosts made their superior quality tell to book their place in the 20 May final in Istanbul, and Forest went out with a whimper, having managed just two shots on target across the 90 minutes.
Elliot Anderson has often been their talisman this season, but even he was powerless to prevent Villa from dictating the game and overwhelming the Reds.
Forest’s defeat will see their focus switch back to securing Premier League survival in the coming weeks, but it could also represent a serious bump in Anderson’s journey.
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VISIT THE FOREST MATCH HUBElliot Anderson completely overrun by Aston Villa
Anderson has become used to dictating midfields for Forest in recent months, and it has been no surprise to see a huge level of interest mount in him heading into the summer.
It looks inevitable that the 23-year-old will be one of the biggest talking points of the upcoming window, but his sorry display at Villa Park could not have come at a worse time for Forest.
| Stats | Anderson Totals |
| Accurate Passes | 51/58 (88%) |
| Chances Created | – |
| Shots | – |
| Defensive Contributions | 8 |
| Tackles | 2 |
| Duels Won | 7/11 (64%) |
Pereira opted to start the game with his team in the 4-4-2 formation that has helped to unlock their goalscoring in recent weeks, but it was clear from the very beginning that it was causing issues for them.
Villa’s pairing of Victor Lindelof and Youri Tielemans completely overran the Forest duo, while Morgan Rogers continuously took up threatening positions in the attacking midfield role.
In difficult moments of games, Forest have routinely looked towards Anderson to wrestle back control for them and help stamp their imprint on the game, but he was nowhere to be seen at Villa Park.
Pereira would have known before kick-off that he needed big performances from his key players if his team were to progress to the final, and Anderson let him down in that regard, as he had no answer in the middle of the park.
Man United slowly resigning themselves to Anderson transfer failure
Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider earlier this week that United aren’t likely to land Anderson this summer.
The Old Trafford outfit are competing with their bitter rivals Manchester City to win the race for the England international, with the blue half of Manchester stepping up their pursuit of late.
Brown indicated that there is a growing feeling among United circles that they are doomed to lose out on the midfielder and instead will be forced to look towards their second and third choice targets.
He also suggested that the Citizens will be able to pay a higher price than their rivals, with Forest set to demand huge money to sanction his departure this summer.
Anderson may have wilted under the pressure at Villa Park on Thursday, but that will not be enough to put the top clubs off a move for him this summer.