Nottingham Forest player ratings vs Chelsea: Hudson-Odoi shines, 2/10 shocker
Nottingham Forest were unable to mathematically secure their Premier League safety on Saturday (11 May) after losing 3-2 against Chelsea.
Fans at the City Ground were jubilant before kick-off knowing their superior goal difference would likely secure their survival with just one point needed to confirm it.
However, goals from Mykhailo Mudryk, Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson denied Forest their survival celebrations at the City Ground.
PLAYER RATINGS
Matz Sels [4]
Could – and probably should – have done better for Mykhailo Mudryk’s opener. Sels was also caught out of position for Nicolas Jackson’s winner and ended the match with only two saves.
Gonzalo Montiel [4]
The weakest link in Forest’s back five. The Argentine offered very little going forward and was caught out of possession far too often – including for Mudryk’s opener. Hooked off for Anthony Elanga in the second half.
Willy Boly [7]
Opened the scoring with an emphatic header and was enjoying a strong defensive performance until Chelsea stung Forest with two late goals. His lack of pace was exposed by Jackson for the winner.
Murillo [5]
Forest fans will be praying this is not the last they see of him at the City Ground. Murillo is silky and confident in possession but he was caught out for Chelsea’s late double. Had eight clearances and five completed tackles on the final whistle.
Moussa Niakhate [4]
Slotted into a back five set up by Nuno to nullify Chelsea’s wide threats. However, Niakhate was outshone by his two central defensive partners. Won six of his nine ground duels before being taken off late into the match.
Ola Aina [6]
Thrived in a wing-back role where he could drive forward and join attacks where he linked up well with Hudson-Odoi. However, the introduction of Reece James saw Chelsea expose Forest’s left flank and Aina was largely at fault.
Ryan Yates [7]
A standout performer in the first half. Lost possession just once in the opening 45 minutes. Fought through injury and continued to dominate in midfield. Faded in the second half as he continued to struggle with injury before being replaced by Harry Toffolo.
Morgan Gibbs-White [7]
The central cog in Forest’s system. Gibbs-White has been given license to roam and express himself under Nuno Espirito Santo and he is thriving in that role. Ended the match with 38 accurate passes – the most of any Forest player.
Danilo [4]
A fairly anonymous performance from the Brazilian, who was unable to stamp his authority on the match. Danilo worked hard and covered plenty of ground for Forest, but he wasn’t particularly effective defensively having won just two of his eight ground duels.
Callum Hudson-Odoi [9]
Enjoyed an electric performance against his former side. After a quiet start to the match, Hudson-Odoi burst into life in the second half. After his first curling effort rebounded off the crossbar, he burrowed an almost identical effort in the bottom corner.
Chris Wood [2]
A shocking performance – and not for the first time this season. Wood squandered three huge opportunities which could have made Forest’s survival party a little more sweet. He missed two big chances according to Opta, including a jaw-dropping miss from a few yards out in the second half.
SUBSTITUTES
Anthony Elanga [4] – Struggled to make an impact from the bench. Forest’s attacking threat shrunk considerably after his introduction.
Harry Toffolo [5] – Moved to the left after coming on, but struggled to contain the threat of Reece James.
Nicolas Dominguez – N/A.
Taiwo Awoniyi – Welcomed back by a rapture of applause from Forest fans, but didn’t have enough time to make an impact.
In other news, Nottingham Forest ‘discriminated against’ by PL rules – Kieran Maguire
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