Nottingham Forest 2 City 3
Report by Colin Hall
An injury-time goal by Anthony Knockaert secured a 3-2 victory for Leicester City in the final game of the Championship regular season, at neighbours and rivals Nottingham Forest.
The celebrations of this result, the first league success at this venue for over forty years, would have been manic in any circumstances.
But its significance, in enabling City to leapfrog their hosts and clinch a playoff spot, could be immense for club and manager Nigel Pearson alike.
Two hours earlier, Pearson's continued faith in Knockaert – his flagship signing of last summer – had not been universally acclaimed among the travelling Foxes.
Although a sensation during some of his early appearances, the Frenchman has often struggled during his first campaign in English football. A combination of bad weather, tricky pitches, insufficient protection by referees, and a punishing fixture schedule had adversely affected his form.
Yet on an occasion which demanded a performance of the highest quality, Knockaert delivered it, confounding the critics within the City fanbase who labelled him a “lightweight” and “luxury player”.
The Championship has regularly been derided and disparaged, often with good reason, as a division of dross. On this day, however, it proved to be a division of utterly compelling drama.
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