Nottingham Forest player ratings vs Tottenham: Murillo shines in crucial victory
Nottingham Forest moved closer to Premier League safety with a huge 3-0 victory over relegation rivals Tottenham on Sunday.
Igor Jesus’s header from a corner broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time despite a positive first 45 minutes from the hosts.
Neco Williams had a big chance minutes into the second half to double their lead, but Guglielmo Vicario reacted well to keep out his header.
Morgan Gibbs-White did manage to double their advantage when he latched onto Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross, and Vicario was unable to keep his low effort out, before substitute Taiwo Awoniyi sealed the three points in the 87th minute.
Nottingham Forest’s survival chances have significantly improved with all three points, with Vitor Pereira earning his first Premier League win in charge of the club.
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VISIT THE FOREST MATCH HUBIgor Jesus ends Premier League goal drought
Jesus forced Vicario into a stretching save, which won the corner from which he opened the scoring past the Italian goalkeeper.
It was only Jesus’ third Premier League goal of the season, and first since January, with the 25-year-old handed a timely confidence boost.
| Minutes Played | 70 |
| Shots | 2 |
| Touches | 19 |
| Accurate Passes | 50% |
| Duels | 12 |
Chris Wood watched on from the sidelines, with the striker nearing a return to action to further boost Pereira’s squad for the final seven games of the season.
Murillo proves Nottingham Forest worth
Sources have told Football Insider that Murillo could be of interest to the likes of Liverpool in the summer transfer window, and it was easy to tell why against Spurs.
The 23-year-old starred defensively, winning all his ground duels, whilst making eight clearances to keep Spurs out.
Murillo and his back four restricted Spurs to just three shots on target throughout the match, as they never looked in danger of losing their lead in the second half.
Nottingham Forest player ratings against Tottenham
- Matz Sels – 8
- Ola Aina – 7
- Nikola Milenkovic – 9
- Murillo – 9
- Neco Williams – 7
- Ibrahim Sangare – 7
- Elliot Anderson – 8
- Omari Hutchinson – 5
- Morgan Gibbs-White – 7
- Callum Hudson-Odoi – 5
- Igor Jesus – 7
Substitutes
- Ryan Yates (On for Hudson-Odoi 70′) – 6
- Taiwo Awoniyi (On for Jesus 71′) – 7
- Dan Ndoye (On for Hutchinson 80′) – 5
- Nico Dominguez (On for Anderson 92′) – 5
- James McAtee (On for Gibbs-White 92′) – 5
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