Nottingham Forest 2 City 2
Post Match Analysis by Colin Hall
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation.
Trips to watch Leicester City play in West Bridgford (Nottingham’s boundary, for now, remains on the other side of the Trent) are never comfortable. There have been too many occasions over the decades where a toxic atmosphere off the field has been accompanied by fearful beatings on it.
A FORTY-point gap between the sides prior to this encounter did not suggest the outcome on this occasion would be a close one.
The hosts, seeking a victory to reignite their challenge for a Champions League place, started strongly, but former Fox Wood was unable to convert either of the early chances that came his way.
Instead, it was the visitors who stunned most of the capacity crowd – and perhaps even themselves – by scoring first.
A long throw, which did not appear entirely legitimate, by Luke Thomas was not properly cleared by the home defence, allowing Bilal El Khannouss to fire in a drive which home keeper Sels could only parry. Conor Coady reached the loose ball first to head into the Forest net and provoke ecstatic scenes in the visitors’ section of the stadium.
However, the joy was curtailed within minutes, as Thomas found himself on the other end of a contentious decision after a challenge on Elanga. Gibbs-White reacted quickest from the free-kick to head past Jakub Stolarczyk and level the score.
City remained competitive for the remainder of the half, although Stolarczyk needed a smart reaction to prevent Dominguez from giving Forest the lead just before the break. Meanwhile, Thomas’s continual overstepping at throw-ins, and the match officials’ reluctance to observe it, irritated large sections of the home support.
But their mood improved noticeably soon after the restart, when a fine cross from Gibbs-White was met firmly by Wood to put the hosts ahead.
There have been too many occasions this season when such a blow has caused terminal damage to City’s morale. Fortunately, this proved not to be one of them. Ruud van Nistelrooy, despite being the subject of numerous derogatory chants from many of the travelling Foxes throughout the afternoon, was surprisingly proactive in his use of substitutions as the visitors sought a leveller.
Tensions grew both on and off the field as the game entered the closing minutes. With several key players missing, the hosts appeared less comfortable in the art of game management than they had been in earlier stages of the season.
City sensed an opportunity was coming and Jamie Vardy, seeking his 200th goal for the club, almost found one when clear on goal, only for his touch to desert him at a crucial moment.
Shortly afterwards, it returned just when his side needed it, with a deft flick from the skipper allowing substitute Facundo Buonanotte to move through the home defence to bring City level.
To their immense credit, and indeed that of Van Nistelrooy, City did not sit back at this stage and settle for the point. Instead, they surged forward in search of a winner, with child prodigy Jeremy Monga twice coming agonisingly close to providing a goal which would have caused reverberations way beyond this game or even the Premier League.
The discomfort he and others caused to the Forest defence might have persuaded some in the home ranks to consider their side might not yet quite be ready to take the Camp Nou or Parc des Princes by storm.
Indeed, the final whistle, although delivering a result that ensured European football at this venue for the first time in nearly three decades, was greeted with loud boos from home fans. It also provoked a furious reaction, not for the first time this season, by the local overlord, whose requirement to observe UEFA rules means he can no longer be described officially as Forest’s “owner”.
His subsequent assertion that the fiery outburst towards his manager arose from a disagreement about a substitution did not prove to be entirely convincing, although the injury to home striker Awoniyi to which he referred later proved to be far serious than was generally acknowledged in the immediate aftermath of the game.
While the Blue Army exited the ground in far better mood than many in their ranks had entered it, there was an air of profound regret that the spirit and endeavour which yielded this result had been absent far too frequently in both home and away games during the winter months.
Although honour and pride made a welcome return, this cannot and should not be used to obscure the pressing need for large-scale changes, both on and off the field, that will be needed to secure another successful City promotion campaign in 2025-26.
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1) : Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Sangaré (Awoniyi 83), Anderson (Jota Silva 90 + 1); Elanga, Dominguez (Yates 74), Gibbs-White; Wood. Subs not used: Carlos Miguel, Abbott, Boly, Toffolo, Danilo, Sosa.
Goals: Gibbs-White (25), Wood (56).
Bookings: Morato, Aina, Anderson.
Leicester City (4-2-3-1): Stolarczyk; Justin, Coady, Faes, Thomas (Kristiansen 77); Ndidi, Skipp (Soumaré 60); McAteer (Monga 77), El Khannouss (Okoli 90 + 3), Ayew (Buonanotte 61); Vardy. Subs not used: Iversen, Coulibaly, Daka, Evans.
Goals: Coady (16), Buonanotte (81)
Bookings: Justin, Thomas, Buonanotte.
Referee: Tony Harrington. VAR: Peter Bankes. Attendance: 30 245