Where did Elliot Anderson find the strength to score the goal that ultimately enabled Nottingham Forest to retain their Premier League status? Not only did he show incredible endeavour to start and finish the decisive move, propelling into the six-yard box with a couple of minutes of time to run, but the England midfielder, an ever-present for Forest and now a fixture for his country, was playing 48 hours after the funeral of his mother, Helen. “There have been a few things going on recently so it felt really nice,” Anderson said by way of understatement afterwards.
After a give-and-go with James McAtee and burning past Bruno Guimarães, the Newcastle captain, rather than admiring his initial pass, Anderson flashed a shot past Nick Pope from a tight angle. As his teammates celebrated, Anderson lay on the floor with cramp. Anderson has been Forest’s best player this season by some distance, even accounting for Morgan Gibbs-White’s incredible form this calendar year and Neco Williams’s consistent displays from full-back.
