Nottingham Forest gave their Premier League survival hopes a huge boost with a big 4-3 victory over Southampton on Monday night.
Steve Cooper’s side bounced back from defeat at Brentford to claim a second successive win at the City Ground on an evening of high drama. It lifted them out of the bottom three with three games left to play.
Next up is a trip to Chelsea on Saturday. And there was plenty to discuss when Reds reporter Sarah Clapson held a live Q&A on our Forest Facebook page. Here’s how it panned out.
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Q: Great to see Yatesy back on the pitch (and with the armband). Just his presence provides a lift.
A: It makes a massive difference having Ryan Yates back. He’s been a big miss while he’s been out.
Monday night wasn’t his best game and he’s still building up his match sharpness. But just having him in the team, with the energy and drive he brings, makes a difference.
He’ll always get stuck in and make a nuisance of himself. And you can never fault his commitment.
The midfield dynamic between him, Orel Mangala and Danilo worked well. It’s been a problem area previously, but Mangala and Danilo have really come into their own of late, and Yates just added to that. Those three offer different things, but as a combination there’s a lot of legs and energy in there - and that makes a difference to how Forest play.
Assuming Renan Lodi and Serge Aurier are OK, I’d be tempted to stick with the same starting line-up against Chelsea. There’s the option of reverting to three at the back, but having found some balance in midfield and a threat in attack, personally, I’d stick with what worked against Southampton.
Also a mention for Willy Boly being back. It was a surprise to see him on the bench, but a boost to have him available for the run-in. Even if not in the starting XI, the experience he brings can be vital.
Q: Big T is the reason.
A: It was great to see Taiwo get his two goals. He took them both really well. The second, that volley on the turn, was an absolutely brilliant finish. It looks as though he is getting his sharpness back.
It’s taken him a while to get going again after injury, just as it took time for him to find his feet at the start of the season. The timing of his injury was so frustrating; he had just started to hit some form.
Similar to Yates, though, it makes a difference when he is in the side. Forest look better when he plays.
He can look a bit clumsy and his touch isn’t always there, but he can still be a real handful for defenders. And he can get goals.
He’s got seven so far this season. If he hadn’t been sidelined for a chunk of the season, he would probably be in double-figures by now. He might yet get a bit closer to that milestone.
He could still do with getting a few more and there are areas of his game to work on, but he should be full of confidence after that brace. As with quite a few in the squad, he’ll benefit from the experiences of this season and should be able to push on.
Some of the link-up between Awoniyi, Danilo, Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson on Monday was superb. It’s really exciting to think - if Forest can stay up and hang on to them all - that will only get better.
Q: Chelsea has to be a real good chance of getting the result we need to be able to relax in the last two games, even though I don’t think we need to get anything from them to stay in the Premier League. Arsenal will be the only one I have doubts about, but we can get a result from Palace as they have nothing to play for. So possible six points for us and we will be able to enjoy the summer in peace.
A: Peace? Relax? Stress-free? What’s that?!
Saturday against Chelsea should definitely be seen as an opportunity. The relegation battle is certainly not over with yet; Forest still need a few more points.
They should go to Stamford Bridge in confident mood, though. Performances have been better of late, including the away ones against Brentford and Liverpool. That’s got to be a big positive.
I do think they’re going to need to stop the losing run on the road. At the City Ground, Forest fancy themselves against anyone but the Arsenal game is going to be tough as it looks as though the title race will not be over with by then. If they can pick up something on Saturday, that would take a little bit of the pressure off that match. It would be a huge result.
It’s so difficult to predict how many more points will be needed to stay up. The good thing is it is in Forest’s hands.
It might be that 34 or 35 points will be enough. Forest are definitely capable of getting that, but I’d hate it to go down to the last game - particularly if Forest end up going to Crystal Palace needing to get something but without having broken that away hoodoo beforehand.
Q: Only had one clean-sheet since Hendo’s injury…
A: Dean Henderson is definitely another one who’s been sorely missed. It’s understandable to think about how the season might have panned out without all the injuries. Henderson was part of a team which was building a bit of momentum and had developed consistency in selection before a few injuries struck.
Keylor Navas was outstanding on his debut. But since then he has been hit and miss. He’s capable of pulling off some wonder saves, but then can immediately make the kind of error you wouldn’t expect from someone of his calibre. It still wouldn’t be a surprise if he came to the rescue a few times before the end of the season, though.
Henderson is a big personality. He quickly established a rapport with fans and he’s continued to be a key character in the dressing room while he’s been injured.
He’s really bought into the club during his loan spell. You only have to watch him getting really animated on the sidelines during games to see he cares.
I hope it isn’t the last we’ve seen of him in a Forest shirt. Cooper was quite coy when talking about that last week.
He’s a Manchester United player, so of course it’s in their hands. Whether Forest can even put themselves in the conversation will almost certainly come down to which division they are in. But if they do stay up, perhaps the fact he has clearly enjoyed his time at the City Ground will count for something.
Will Forest stay up? Have your say in the comments below
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