Nottingham Forest player ratings vs Brentford: Anthony Elanga and Ola Aina unreal but one player gets 10/10
Yesterday at 11:55 AM
Nottingham Forest travelled to Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side putting their strong away record up against the league’s best home side.
Forest beat Aston Villa in their previous fixture, consolidating the club’s position in the top four of the Premier League table.
Jill Scott predicted Forest to beat Brentford, a feat that was made somewhat simpler as Ethan Pinnock missed out for Brentford.
In a tight opening half, Forest found a way through Brentford through their marauding wing-backs, with Neco Williams teeing up Ola Aina to give his side the lead.
Brentford would dominate possession in the second half, but Anthony Elanga produced a moment of magic to add the second goal for Forest that ultimately secured all three points.
Matz Sels – 8
Thanks to the imperious performances of the three defenders in front of him, Sels wasn’t called into action much but when he was needed, the Belgian produced a remarkable save.
Sels tipped a powerful strike by Kristoffer Ajer over the bar from four yards out, preserving Forest’s two-goal lead at a crucial time.
Morato – 7
Morato looked solid in his first league start for Forest. Murillo and Milenkovic will surely continue as Forest’s go-to pair, but Morato provides a more than capable backup.
Nikola Milenkovic – 7
Milenkovic was his usual dominant self in the air, heading away Brentford’s many second-half crosses without having the opportunity to attack any real set pieces at the other end.
Murillo – 10
Murillo was an injury doubt for the Brentford game but was able to start from the off to tremendous effect. His distribution was flawless which was particularly crucial given the five at the back shape that Espirito Santo reverted to.
In the defence, he met almost every Brentford delivery with aggression and efficiency, earning his side a superb clean sheet.
Neco Williams – 7
Starting once more in place of Alex Moreno but in a more advanced wing-back role, Williams showed his attacking value by expertly picking out Aina for his goal.
Ola Aina – 8
Linking up with his wing-back partner, Aina arrived into the box to drill home Forest’s opening goal. Ian Wright raved about Aina recently, with today’s performance showing that the Forest man is becoming one of the best in the Premier League in his position.
Elliot Anderson – 7
Anderson had to focus on defensive work given that Gibbs-White was his partner in the middle but handled it with no trouble, winning all of his aerial duels and completing two tackles.
Morgan Gibbs-White – 8
Forest’s talisman produced an all-action performance in the centre for Forest having been asked to sit a bit deeper vs Brentford. He won his fair share of duels whilst also providing a central outlet for Forest’s dangerous breakaways.
Anthony Elanga – 9
Forest fans praised Elanga after his goal against Villa, and showed just why Espirito Santo gave him a chance from the start with a beautifully taken goal.
Forest could do with another player scoring regularly to support Wood up front and Elanga is staking a claim to be that player with performances like this
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 7
He won’t claim the headlines like Elanga, but Hudson-Odoi was solid on the left flank for Forest, creating chances for his fellow
Chris Wood – 6
Forest struggled to get Wood into the game until the half-hour mark when Anderson chipped a ball across the box for the Kiwi, who was denied by Mark Flekken.
He managed a few more shots in the second period, but the headlines belong to the Forest attacking support act against Brentford.
Substitutes
Ryan Yates – 6
Good to see Yates make an appearance after it looks as if he suffered an injury in the Villa clash. Offered a more battling element to compliment the technical flair of those around him.
Nicolas Dominguez – 6
Dominguez replaced Anderson after 64 minutes, just as Brentford took control of possession which gave the midfielder fewer chances to get on the ball. He was strong positionally and in the tackle which was all that was required of him.
Jota Silva – 7
The winger was given the almost thankless task of being Forest’s outlet to gain precious yards up the right side. He managed it reasonably well though, whilst also supporting Aina in defence.
Taiwo Awoniyi – 6
His only contribution to the game was a rather nasty-looking aerial challenge with Nathan Collins of Brentford.
Harry Toffolo – 6
In only his second league appearance of the season, Toffolo was serenaded by Forest fans as he continued where Neco Williams left off at left-back in stoppage time.
