A dismal evening saw Nottingham Forest fall to a fifth successive defeat as they were beaten 4-0 by Leicester City.
The Reds were unable to stop the rot as they returned to action after the international break. And it will leave boss Steve Cooper under pressure as his side are now bottom of the Premier League table.
Cooper switched to a four-man defence at the King Power Stadium as he looked to arrest his team’s losing run. But it was a change which didn’t pay off, with a dreadful first half leaving the visitors 3-0 down at the break.
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It could have panned out differently had Taiwo Awoniyi not missed a gilt-edged chance by firing a shot at the post with 23 minutes gone. But Leicester had already racked up a number of opportunities by then, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jamie Vardy both heading wide.
Awoniyi’s spurned effort proved costly. Just two minutes later, the Foxes broke the deadlock. James Maddison’s strike took a significant deflection off Scott McKenna to put the hosts 1-0 up.
A well-struck shot from Harvey Barnes doubled the hosts’ lead just two minutes later, after he had cut inside Neco Williams. And Maddison near-enough killed the game off with 35 minutes gone, bending a wicked free-kick past Dean Henderson to leave Forest with a mountain to climb.
Awoniyi had another good opportunity to pull a goal back early in the second half but could not beat Danny Ward, while Brennan Johnson was unable to capitalise on the rebound. Patson Daka went on to rub salt in a very sore wound heading into the final 15 minutes, making it 4-0. Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the King Power Stadium.
Dean Henderson: Only so much he could do when it was one-way traffic for much of the night. Amount of goals being conceded is a huge concern, but needs more help from the rest of his teammates. Rating: 5.5/10
Neco Williams: Given a torrid time throughout the first half by Harvey Barnes, who cut inside him to net Leicester’s second. Hooked at the break as substitutions were made in a bid to change something. Rating: 4.5/10
Steve Cook: Wore the captain’s armband and did his best to keep spirits up, but this will have been a night to forget. Back line looked nervy when they came under pressure. Rating: 5/10
Scott McKenna: Switch to a four-man defence failed to plug the gaps, with the visitors beaten too easily. Defending has to be done as team, but there was a real lack of cohesion out there. Rating: 5/10
Renan Lodi: Much like Williams, was exposed a fair few times down the flank. James Maddison turned him inside out early on, and that rather set the tone. Rating: 4.5/10
Cheikhou Kouyate: Took up a deeper lying midfield role, but barely made an impression on the game. Leicester were given far too much time and space, with a lack of pressing most notable. Rating: 4.5/10
Lewis O’Brien: Unable to make an impact this time. Balance in midfield just wasn’t there, with Forest losing the battle in the centre of the pitch. Rating: 5/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: A nice through-ball to set up Awoniyi in the first half. Did look a bit more positive in the second half, but by then the game was gone. Rating: 6/10
Jesse Lingard: Mistake led to Maddison’s first goal as was unable to clear. Link-up play which has been evident in previous games wasn’t there this time. Rating: 5/10
Brennan Johnson: Worked hard in difficult circumstances, even when he didn’t see much of the ball. Some brighter moments after the break, but this was a tough, tough evening. Rating: 6/10
Taiwo Awoniyi: A case of ‘what if’ had that early chance gone the right side of the post. How did he not score? Another good opportunity went begging in the second half, too. Rating: 5/10
Subs
Ryan Yates (for O’Brien, 46mins): At least showed effort out there, and Forest did look better for the changes. Rating: 6.5/10
Remo Freuler (for Kouyate, 46mins): Contributed to a better second half from the Reds’ perspective - but was already a mountain to climb by that point. Rating: 6/10
Serge Aurier (for Williams, 46mins): First impression was generally a positive one as he made his debut. Came away with some credit on a miserable night. Rating: 6.5/10
Emmanuel Dennis (for Awoniyi, 62mins): Game was a lost cause by the time he came on. Difficult to make any kind of impact. Rating: 6/10
Orel Mangala (for Lingard, 69mins): A positive to see him back on the pitch after injury. He’s been missed. Rating: 6/10
Subs not used: Hennessey, Worrall, Surridge, Boly.
Who was your Forest man of the match? Have your say in the comments below
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