Match of the Day pundit names ‘the difference’ for…

Match of the Day pundit names ‘the difference’ for Nottingham Forest as safety secured

Former Nottingham Forest academy graduate Jermaine Jenas has hailed the organisation shown by Steve Cooper ’s men in the win over Arsenal, also praising Morgan Gibbs-White for his impact on the team.

The Reds secured Premier League safety with one game to go thanks to a 1-0 win over the second placed team at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon. Taiwo Awoniyi’s first half goal was enough to separate the two teams.

Everton’s draw with Wolves earlier in the day meant that Forest knew that a win would mean they would be playing Premier League football next season. The game also had an impact at the top of the league, with Forest’s win securing the Premier League title for Man City.

Speaking on Match of the Day, Jenas praised Cooper for the job he has done and the cohesion his team showed to keep Arsenal at bay.

“Huge credit has to go to Steve Cooper, to get that group of players together and actually get them organised, it’s what Steve Cooper is about really, having them organised, having them drilled and ready to perform in such a big game.

“This is almost the system that got them up, playing five at the back and being more of a counter-attacking side - you saw the five at the back there, the three in midfield and the two up top. Arsenal are very creative and inventive and want to pop up in these little pockets, Odegaard and Saka want to get on the ball.

"What was really good about Forest today was when they did break those lines Arsenal, they still had that composure and that organisation so that when crosses came into the box they were in the positions they needed to be in to clear it.

“But then it was fight, fight for this ball so that we can have some sort of counter-attack or relieve some pressure from the defence.

“From a different side of things, when they were slightly deeper what was really impressive was the lines between the midfield and defence were really tight, so that gap there that Odegaard is trying to get into or Saka is trying to get into, when that ball comes in, they’re on them straight away , win that ball back again, a little bit of creativity and then they release.”

The pundit also picked out Gibbs-White for his performance. The midfielder capitalised on an Arsenal mistake in the middle of the park and played the crucial pass for Awoniyi’s winning goal.

Jenas added: “And you know what this was the team as well that he’s finally settled on and didn’t change too much. And when you’ve got players like Morgan Gibbs-White in your team - he might be player of the year for Forest, Brennan Johnson runs him close. But he’s a really special talent is this lad, just things like the composure, the timing of the pass, the weight of the pass, a bit of a fluky finish but we’ll take it.

“He’s the difference, so you can afford to play like that because he has the ability to relieve pressure with moments like this, maybe he should have done better with it - but watch his reaction, he loses the ball, he has a shot on target, but then goes and wins it.

“That stadium loves him.”

Reflecting on Forest having just 18 percent of the ball during the match, he said: “I think sometimes you’ve just got to have a way of playing, if as players you can get behind it and understand it then it can work as it did today.”

How key has Morgan Gibbs-White been in Forest's survival this season? Tell us in the comments section

READ NEXT:

Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here