Nottingham Forest dropped into the bottom three for the first time since January as they fell 2-0 to Aston Villa.
Eager for an improvement in fortunes, particularly on the road, head coach Steve Cooper opted for a change in formation at Villa Park. Plumping for a three-man defence, it had the effect of frustrating the hosts in the opening 45 minutes.
Forest looked more solid than in previous away games. And they did offer a threat on the counterattack.
READ MORE: How the action unfolded at Villa Park
READ MORE: Cooper names Forest team to face Villa
Ollie Watkins fired an early effort wide of the far post, while Ashley Young was off target with a shot shortly after. Reds goalkeeper Keylor Navas generally had a quiet first half, however.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Cheikhou Kouyate had a strike deflected wide, following good work by Morgan Gibbs-White and Neco Williams. Brennan Johnson was clean through on the half hour, but he couldn’t get the better of Emi Martinez or the offside flag.
Forest were dealt a blow soon after, when Kouyate was forced off with injury. And their afternoon got worse soon after the restart as Villa took the lead courtesy of Bertrand Traore.
The visitors were unable to muster a response and had to play the final 10 minutes with 10 men as Moussa Niakhate was forced off with no more substitutions able to be made. Watkins made absolutely sure of the three points for Villa in added time as the Reds’ winless run stretched to nine games. Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at Villa Park.
Keylor Navas: Parrying the ball to Shelvey should have been a touch of fortune, as the midfielder ought to have booted it away. Had very little else to do other than pick the ball out of the net after that. Rating: 5.5/10
Neco Williams: Seemed much more comfortable in the wing-back role, offering a decent outlet with some promising runs. Didn’t do that as much when the visitors reverted to a back four. Rating: 6/10
Joe Worrall: Had a solid game as part of a three-man defence, with Forest looking better at the back for the change in formation. Chipped in with a goal-saving tackle in the second half. Rating: 6.5/10
Felipe: One of few players to really emerge with credit from this poor run of form. Did really well again and continues to give his all. Rating: 7/10
Moussa Niakhate: A huge concern to see him have to come off in the final few minutes after seemingly picking up an injury. Sums up Forest’s luck on that front. Rating: 6.5/10
Harry Toffolo: Better than on Tuesday night, but still could have done with cutting out some key crosses. Put in a few crunching tackles. Rating: 6/10
Jonjo Shelvey: No idea what he was trying to do for Traore’s goal, passing the ball straight to him rather than clearing. A costly, completely avoidable mess of a mistake. Rating: 4/10
Cheikhou Kouyate: Not a good sign to see him forced off after half an hour on his first start since returning from injury. Seemed like it was his hamstring again. Rating: 6/10
Danilo: Showed some nice touches in the first half when the Reds had some decent moments on the counter. At least tried to find an immediate response with a shot after they had fallen behind. Rating: 6.5/10
Brennan Johnson: Looked a threat on the counter in the first half, when the Reds’ game-plan worked. Struggled to get much of a look-in after the break once the game had turned. Rating: 6/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: An improvement on midweek, particularly in the first half. Whole team lacked urgency after falling behind, though. Rating: 5.5/10
Subs
Remo Freuler (for Kouyate, 32mins): Did okay. But the Reds need more than ‘okay’ at this point. Rating: 6/10
Taiwo Awoniyi (for Worrall, 65mins): Had a few promising moments, but Forest never really created enough to properly threaten in the second half. Rating: 6/10
Orel Mangala (for Shelvey, 65mins): Unable to change the game in the visitors’ favour when they were chasing something. Rating: 5.5/10
Andre Ayew (for Danilo, 78mins): Didn’t really make any discernible difference when the Reds really needed someone to step up. Rating: 5.5/10
Subs not used: Hennessey, Lingard, Surridge, Dennis, McKenna.
Who was your Forest man of the match? Have your say in the comments below
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