Nottingham Forest ended a run of five defeats in a row in the Premier League on Monday night as they took a point from the home clash against Aston Villa.
Steve Cooper’s men were looking to bounce back from what was a disappointing 4-0 loss against Leicester City in their last outing. They went into the game knowing that a draw or win would take them back above the Foxes in the Premier League table.
Forest did take the lead against Steven Gerrard’s team when Emmanuel Dennis headed in a free kick in the 15th minute. But the Reds were pegged back by an Ashley Young strike just seven minutes later.
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With the game ending in a 1-1 draw, the point saw Forest move off the bottom of the table and stopped the rot of Premier League losses. Cooper’s side will look to build on that result as they take on Wolves at the weekend.
Ahead of that game, here is a look at what the national media made of the clash against Villa at the City Ground.
The Telegraph , John Percy
Forest deserved their first point in six matches after a performance that was at times determined and desperate in equal measure…
Gibbs-White, the £25 million record buy, was at the heart of all Forest’s more threatening moments and almost produced a wonderful individual goal from nowhere, curling a shot wide of the far corner with his instep.
It became scrappy and bad-tempered, with Forest substitute Neco Williams embroiled in an angry confrontation with Jacob Ramsey on the touchline.
Villa were the more dominant team as the clock ticked down, but there was to be no dramatic finish and Gerrard is still waiting for lift-off.
The Guardian , Ben Fisher
Armed with a shiny new contract, Steve Cooper and Nottingham Forest needed a reaction. Although they failed to get the three points they craved, they halted their five-match losing run after taking a draw from a drab but heated contest at home against Aston Villa – a result that also lifts them off the bottom of the table…
…After another eventful week, Forest fans made their love for Cooper plain. As the Forest manager headed for the dugout a few minutes before kick-off, as is his ritual, he applauded all four sides of the stadium and gave the fans who adore him, some of whom in the Bridgford Stand unfurled a flag and a banner with the words “leader of the garibaldi” a soothing thumbs-up. At the final whistle Cooper embarked on a lap of the pitch, tapping his chest as he went.
The Independent , Jonathan Veal
Ashley Young’s spectacular strike earned Aston Villa a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest, who ended a five-game losing streak.
Young struck from distance to cancel out Emmanuel Dennis’ opener as a feisty midlands derby finished all square at the City Ground.
In Forest’s first game since manager Steve Cooper was awarded a new contract, just days after reportedly being close to the sack, he saw his side put in an improved performance as they halted a horror run of results that had seen them slip to the bottom of the table.
Dennis’ first goal for the club gave them hope of a second win of the campaign, but it was short-lived as Young produced the only real moment of quality in the match.
Cooper will be enthused but know there is plenty of work still to do to turn his squad full of new signings into a team capable of beating the drop.
The Daily Mail , Tom Collomosse
As for Nottingham Forest, this point moved them off the bottom of the table but was not quite the bounce they might have expected from manager Steve Cooper, who could have been dismissed last week, signing a new contract in an extraordinary U-turn by the club. They took the lead through Emmanuel Dennis but were pegged back by Ashley Young’s first goal for Villa for more than 11 years, and Forest did not threaten enough after that…
…Cooper had given a chance to Dennis, one of Forest’s 23 summer signings, from the start and left Jesse Lingard on the bench, and the move paid off when Dennis gave Tyrone Mings the slip and headed in Morgan Gibbs-White’s free-kick to give Forest the lead.
That should have given Forest lift-off yet this team have a problem hanging on to leads and Villa needed only seven minutes to draw level.
What did you make of the performance and result against Villa? Tell us in the comments section
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