The fist-pumps were back. With gusto, too. There could hardly have been a more fitting way to mark Nottingham Forest’s final home game of 2022.
It has been a year the like of which hasn’t been seen at the City Ground for a long, long time. Too long. A year filled with some stunning goals and brilliant football. A year with so many incredible moments on the banks of the Trent, from FA Cup magic to Championship heroics and play-off thrills, from that first home game back in the top-flight to that mammoth performance against Liverpool.
And now two more to add to the collection in the space of a few days, with Tottenham Hotspur seen off in impressive style in the Carabao Cup, followed by what felt like a crucial win over Crystal Palace.
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Steve Cooper had been muted in his celebration the last time the Reds picked up three points on their own turf, when they shocked Jurgen Klopp’s men last month. With his side propping up the division and coming off an eight-match winless run, it wasn’t, he’d explained, a time “to be doing laps of honour”.
Forest are still a long way from where they want to be and the team they want to become, and Cooper was keen to stress nobody would be “getting carried away” with beating Palace. But he did let himself go just a little bit - who could blame him?!
“It’s not something I really want to do when you’re down at the bottom, but I just felt it was such a well-deserved win for the players and the supporters,” he said. “And it was a nice bit of togetherness at the end of the game.
“I really, really wanted the supporters to be able to go into the break with a positive result. We got that. Nobody is getting carried away, of course - even though I might have for ten seconds!”
Cooper sprinkled his stardust over a team which was heading one way when he walked into the club little more than 12 months ago. And there are signs he is beginning to get the best out of a new-look group now.
He played down any suggestion that an improvement in results and performances could be credited to the stability which came with the decision to offer him a fresh contract. But it surely can’t be simply a coincidence.
Since that thumping at Leicester City, after which the Welshman was on the verge of being sacked, Forest have lost twice - once to league leaders Arsenal, and the other defeat coming away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, when they almost came away with a point.
With a near-six-week break now upon them, the Reds still have much work to do, but there is plenty to be positive about as well. They look like they are becoming a team. And, with any luck, 2023 will bring plenty more special City Ground moments.
Off the bottom
Going into the World Cup break off the foot of the table is huge. It is still incredibly tight down there, too.
Forest moved up to 18th with Saturday’s win. Palace, in 11th, are just six points ahead of them. A fair few teams could yet be dragged into a relegation scrap, with a bunch of clubs separated by not very much at all.
It is going to be fascinating to see what effect the season being paused has. Every manager will believe they can use it to their advantage, but perhaps Cooper will feel he can benefit more than most.
He made the point in his pre-match press conference that he and his squad are in a unique situation because of the summer overhaul. A number of players will be in Qatar representing their countries, but plenty more will be staying behind, and that time on the training ground could be invaluable. Perhaps the only down side is that the break comes at a time when momentum was beginning to build.
Home comforts
The atmosphere Trentside was superb on Saturday. It has been countless times in 2022.
For the most part, the hosts looked pretty comfortable, but in those moments where Palace did apply a bit of pressure, the crowd really got behind the players. With one goal in it and five minutes added on at the end, it could have got nervy and tense. Instead, supporters rallied round the team and helped them get over the line.
The entire Forest bench had been on their feet in the closing stages. Morgan Gibbs-White was crouched on the ground. Steve Cook had his head in his hands. Jesse Lingard was a bundle of nervous energy.
By the end, it was hugs all round; a clear show of the unity which is growing. Lingard and Gibbs-White ran back on to the pitch and did a little dance, players grouped together and jumped up and down as ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ rang out. And then came the much-missed Cooper fist-pumps.
If the Reds are to keep climbing the table, the City Ground is going to have a huge part to play in that. In 2022, they have had 24 home games in all competitions, just five of those have ended in defeat - four if you class the play-off semi-final as a win, on penalties.
Selection dilemmas
Cooper admitted it had been tough to choose his XI to face Palace. He stuck with some who had impressed in midweek, deciding it made sense to carry over some of the feelgood factor.
It meant the same back four which had kept a clean-sheet against Spurs. Joe Worrall and Willy Boly have seen little game time between them, but they were solid again.
Worrall could have little complaint over the penalty given against him, although it was clever play by Wilfried Zaha. But he recovered well after that, with his blushes spared when the Palace man fired wide.
The visitors did not register a single effort on target. Henderson had a quiet afternoon. The excellent Serge Aurier and Renan Lodi, who also retained his place, played their part in that.
As did the midfield trio of Ryan Yates, Remo Freuler and Cheikhou Kouyate. Yates (again) and Freuler, in particular, were terrific, mopping up everything which came their way.
Across the pitch, Cooper had options. In attack, Lingard, Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson got the nod. The absence of a striker raised eyebrows, but all three were involved in promising moments. The goal came from a Johnson shot which was parried and prodded in by Gibbs-White. He had to hang on for a long time while VAR checked for a potential offside, but the celebration was worth the wait.
Settling in
A number of players look as though they have started to find their feet in recent games. Gibbs-White and Lingard among them.
The latter picked up from where he left off in midweek and was a real handful again. His first goal for the club seemingly acted as the boost he needed. He influenced play in the same way he did against Tottenham. Keep that up and Lingard will be a key player in the second half of the campaign.
Gibbs-White will be, too. Two goals in two Premier League games for him, and it’s easy to see why he was Cooper’s top target in the summer.
Johnson also had a very good game. His pace caused Palace plenty of problems when he ran with the ball.
Signs of cohesion and partnerships developing are there. Likewise, a sense of belief and confidence. Forest have a couple of important away games before then, but New Year’s Day, at home to Chelsea, cannot come soon enough for this group.
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