Beautiful team goal. Forest show spine to come back. They’ve got much more depth and quality than last season imo and Nuno is making use of it now.
Wood come short to get the ball, dragging a defender out of position, one touch to Gibbs-White, who plays a through ball to Jota Silva who squares it for Sosa to score.
Wood subbed at 72 minutes.
Can they finish the job and get something from this game?
And scenes as Gibbs-White sent for a second yellow, after the ref initially doesn’t give a foul. The ref clearly gestures that Gibbs-White got the ball. Then he gives him a second yellow and sends him.
And then he sends…someone on the bench and Nuno too seems to be sent into the bargain.
Was Gibbs-White sent for gesturing at ref or the challenge? There’ll be more about this.
Seemed a relatively innocuous challenge, but some refs are tougher on secondary contact and trailing legs etc.
They hold on for the draw and quite possibly should have won and taken all the points.
With Sosa, Silva, Elanga and Hudson-Odoi they’ve got a bunch of quick wingers and forwards. They’ve got Woodsy. Awoniyi looking for fitness. Anderson, Moreno and Ward-Prowse give depth and options. Milenkovic, a bit more composure and steel at the back and Sels is a better keeper than last season’s version of Turner. Each addition has improved the team.
Just going to have to negotiate the suspension period for Gibbs-White and Nuno (?). Next three games Fulham, Chelsea and Crystal Palace. At least two if not all of those clubs in great form currently. We’ll find out a lot about the character of this team in the next month.
Still ahead of United and Spurs, looks like they’ll hold onto 8th.
It was an entertaining match. Great pen from Wood. He did miss a one on one that would have got more attention if not ruled offside, but overall he did well. Forest looking like this season will be more about possible europe qualification rather than battling relegation, they are playing like a happy and well drilled team.
He's gonna miss one eventually, but blimey he is the man on pens. What's makes him so good from the spot? It ain't just luck.
End on with this one, his body looks all open to the left, then he seems to swivel his hips hard at the point of impact and absolutely drill it right corner.
Chris Wood remains unstoppable from the penalty spot - including shootouts, he’s converted 28 in a row for club and country (6/6 in the Prem)
This was also his third goal in five matches this season as Nottm Forest stay unbeaten
None of the wingers or pace out wide- I count 5 fast players who offer width on the bench. An absolutely packed midfield and Awoniyi, who would otherwise be interchangeable with Wood, in his first start.
Will they play in a two up front?
Gibbs-White suspended of course. And Nuno is okay for this game iirc, but might have a touch line ban for the next one after his card hearing.
Still 0-0 at halftime. Has ended up as a front two of Wood and Awoniyi. Wood did have an effort that was saved but just crossed the line, however VAR ruled that his right foot was in an offside position before his touch.
It’s a front two, but we’re not seeing much of a strike partnership yet lol. No one touch or knock downs for each other or that kind of thing. Lots of pressure on the defenders.
Awoniyi still seems to be missing a bit of pace I remember him having, but has frightened his CB several times.
Moreno and Traore one key battle almost at honours even, with the help from Yates, who’s picked up a yellow but won 4-5 fouls.
Apparently the formation is designed to stymie Fulham and Smith-Rowe through the centre.
Wood almost pinched a brilliant fox in the box goal, but was ruled mm offside by the VAR.
Forest miss Gibbs-White’s influence in creating chances and a fluid playing style, but after the first few minutes they’ve had the better of the play.
If the stymie and attack strategy works here once we might see it repeated this season from Nuno. How long is that blocked midfield going to stay? Who are we guna see off the bench? And can the Woodsman get on the scoresheet?
Unfortunate to lose that. Neither side really deserved to win. Both were tedious.
At the risk of joining Forests’ persecution complex John Brooks in the booth call of ‘minimal contact’ isn’t one of the greats.
And the penalty they did concede wasn’t a challenge, but Murillo tripping over his man.
However, their pen last week was quite soft, so swings and roundabouts.
Back to the drawing board. I was a little surprised to see Elliot Anderson go off ahead of Ward-Prowse tbh. I thought he might have been pushed into the ten or creative role.
You feel without Gibbs-White and possibly Nuno for part of it, 5 points or more from October would be a great month. Chelsea up next.
Still 0-0 at half time. Forest defending like lions, but also pushing forward when they can.
Murillo for Forest with a stinging drive possibly the best opportunity so far. Nothing clear cut apart from that. However players like Madueke and Gusto that can bang them in from distance have had a few chances, but not hit the target. Madueke perhaps the most dangerous, with Sancho not far behind. Forest not giving them much space though currently.
Moments before Ward Prowse picked up a second yellow for diving on the ball like a 1960s rugby forward, after he slipped allowing Nicholas Jackson away.
Gibbs-White off injured. Elliot Anderson off exhausted. Probably a bunch of extra time. Can Forest hold on or even pinch something against the run of play?
Wow. That game was an old FA Cup final. The Chelsea players are collapsed on the ground.
Both Sels and Sanchez made two or three ridiculous saves in stoppage time, with 10 man Forest perhaps having the best of them. It felt like a World Cup final.
A point at Stamford Bridge! Finishes 1-1.
Will they be walking wounded for Palace next round or can they believe and ride that? Good games against big teams are marred by poor results against mid table peers. Gibbs-White needed two med staff to help him off.
Fortunately they have 15 days and you hope that’s enough.
While Woodsie got the key strike, surely Yatesy the captain has to be the MotM for being the last midfielder standing and for being everywhere.
A big ask as a striker to go to 38/39 years of age professionally, but he's in pretty good shape and had a very decent career in terms of injuries (or lack thereof). I can't see him sticking around in the PL until then, but he'll definitely be around that level for the next 2-3 seasons you'd think.
If he makes it that far then he's certainly going to end up as our most capped All White. Throw in a few more unmarked back post headed goals against pacific nations while we're at it too. 😉
Likely eveything is on the table when finally he's not up to EPL standard. Saw an article (FIFA story?) where he mentioned the MLS. Obviously Corica had a chat to him March AWs window in Egypt. Who knows.
Maybe at the 2030 WC, 28 yr old Waine will a starting Championship & AWs striker and 38 yr old Wood will be coming off the pine for cameos.
There’s not many PL clubs that want a striker who can’t also play as a winger. Wood has shown this season imo, that it’s still a very useful specialized position and you don’t have to be Messi to be a very good goal poacher and link play.
Maybe I'm overreacting but does anyone get pissed off by the way English commentators talk about Wood. Caught this from Martin Tyler:
“There’s somebody, who’s a perfect example not just for football but in life. He knows his job. He works within those limitations, he’s given himself, he doesn’t try to do anything he knows he’s not capable of. And he’s turned from being what at best might have been a decent championship player into a proper premier league goalscorer.”
So what he doesn't try take ons who gives a shark. Probably lots of prem attackers who don't and don't get the same treatment from commentators.
Maybe I'm overreacting but does anyone get pissed off by the way English commentators talk about Wood. Caught this from Martin Tyler:
“There’s somebody, who’s a perfect example not just for football but in life. He knows his job. He works within those limitations, he’s given himself, he doesn’t try to do anything he knows he’s not capable of. And he’s turned from being what at best might have been a decent championship player into a proper premier league goalscorer.”
So what he doesn't try take ons who gives a shark. Probably lots of prem attackers who don't and don't get the same treatment from commentators.
I know what you mean but I take it the other way - he's being compared to the elite there, and though he falls short of that it's telling that he's even in the conversation. "He's not quite Ronaldo but he does a good job" is perhaps a loaded compliment, but still a compliment. I see what you mean though.
Maybe I'm overreacting but does anyone get pissed off by the way English commentators talk about Wood. Caught this from Martin Tyler:
“There’s somebody, who’s a perfect example not just for football but in life. He knows his job. He works within those limitations, he’s given himself, he doesn’t try to do anything he knows he’s not capable of. And he’s turned from being what at best might have been a decent championship player into a proper premier league goalscorer.”
So what he doesn't try take ons who gives a shark. Probably lots of prem attackers who don't and don't get the same treatment from commentators.
I don't even think it's just English commentators, I think it extends to the English in general. The attitude towards him here is a disgrace really, they talk about him as if he's some chancer from the championship who's just come up for a few seasons.
Slight rant imminent, but I got chatting to a guy at a league one match a little while ago, and he completely laughed at me when I said his side's ineffectual front line needed a bit of big Chris Wood up top. He said, "I wouldn't say that too loudly around here". When I pressed him as to why he just said, "because he's shark". Imagine a THIRD DIVISION club's fans sharkting on a bloke who's scored 74 goals in a league they've never even got close to being in, absolute madness. Completely anecdotal of course, but honestly that seems to be the common perception of him and it grinds my gears
