Nottingham Forest’s five-match unbeaten run in the Premier League came to an end in the capital as they were beaten 2-0 by Fulham at Craven Cottage.
The afternoon got off to the worst possible start for the visitors. They lost two centre-backs to injury with seven minutes on the clock, and then fell behind 10 minutes later.
Indeed, they could have been further behind at the break. Aside from a brief spell when Gustavo Scarpa and Felipe had sights of goal, and Brennan Johson had a dangerous cross deflected behind, the Reds were on the back foot.
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They were forced into a double change early on when Willy Boly and Scott McKenna both pulled up at the same time. Joe Worrall and Felipe came on to replace them, but they were unable to prevent Willian from giving the hosts the lead. A free-kick had not been cleared properly, and the Fulham man twisted and turned Renan Lodi before firing a shot into the far top corner.
It took a save from Keylor Navas to deny Aleksandar Mitrovic in the 35th minute, after he had left Worrall and Felipe on their backsides. Bobby De Cordova-Reid then rattled the bar and Andreas Pereira fired wide before the interval.
Willian and Pereira both hit the woodwork for Fulham in the second half. Substitutions made a difference for Forest and they were able to apply some pressure, with Johnson and Emmanuel Dennis having chances. But they were unable to take advantage and Manor Solomon made sure of the points for the home side late on. Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at Craven Cottage.
Keylor Navas: Looked properly frustrated when the ball went in the net - not that there was much he could do about it. Still looked a class act as he tried to keep his team in it. Rating: 6.5/10
Serge Aurier: Booking after 15 minutes left him with very little margin for error. Had a few tough moments, but, like most of his teammates, improved after the break. Rating: 6/10
Willy Boly: Has been in fine form, and started this one well, too. A huge blow to lose him to injury so early on. Forest will have everything crossed it isn’t serious. Rating: 6/10
Scott McKenna: When is this rotten injury luck going to end? To lose one defender after a few minutes would be bad enough, but losing both was a massive kick in the gut - and potentially leaves the Reds short in that department. Rating: 6/10
Renan Lodi: Turned inside and out by Willian for the opening goal. Picked himself up after that, though. Pushed forward more in the second half. Rating: 6/10
Orel Mangala: Quiet, other than the odd tackle. Midfield just couldn’t get a handle on the game in the first half, with passes going astray and Fulham well on top. Rating: 5/10
Remo Freuler: Showed more composure in the second 45 minutes as the Reds had a decent spell. First half had been a completely different story, though. Rating: 6/10
Gustavo Scarpa: Had a decent opportunity when teed up by Wood, but generally found it tough to make an impact as the visitors were under the cosh. Rating: 5/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: Able to get on the ball more when Forest improved with substitutions made. Caused Fulham problems during that spell, but the visitors couldn’t make it count. Rating: 6/10
Brennan Johnson: Had a similar chance to the one he scored with last week. Just couldn’t quite get this one on target, though. Pace did trouble Fulham when he got the opportunity. Rating: 6.5/10
Chris Wood: Involved in the visitors’ short positive spell in the first half, but otherwise couldn’t get into the game. Needs something to get his Forest career going. Rating: 5/10
Subs
Joe Worrall (for McKenna, 7mins): Passing was a bit off at times. Can’t have been easy for the new-look centre-back pairing. Rating: 6/10
Felipe (for Boly, 7mins): Unusual circumstances in which to make his debut. Quickly got stuck in, though. Generally looked good on the ball. Rating: 6.5/10
Jonjo Shelvey (for Mangala, 56mins): Made a significant difference when he came on with his passing ability and composure on the ball. Has quite possibly played his way into the XI, if fit enough to start. Rating: 7/10
Emmanuel Dennis (for Scarpa, 56mins): Had a couple of sights of goal. Just needs something to go in, to get his confidence up. Rating: 6/10
Andre Ayew (for Wood, 63mins): Contributed to a better second half spell, with the changes having a real impact. Rating: 6/10
Subs not used: Hennessey, Williams, Colback, Surridge.
Who was your Forest man of the match? Have your say in the comments below
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