Sam Surridge rescued a point for Nottingham Forest as his late equaliser clinched a 1-1 draw for the Reds against Bournemouth.
An action-packed first half saw opportunities at both ends of the pitch. Morgan Gibbs-White forced a save from Neto inside the opening 10 minutes, with Serge Aurier then glancing wide from the resulting corner.
Barely 60 seconds later, Wayne Hennessey was called into action to deny Dango Ouattara, before Chris Wood almost marked his debut with an own goal. The striker inadvertently deflected an effort from Jaidon Anthony narrowly wide when on defensive duty.
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The Reds had the ball in the net with 13 minutes gone, when Ryan Yates converted after Willy Boly headed a Gibbs-White free-kick across goal. VAR ruled ‘no goal’ however, with Boly deemed offside.
The Cherries went on to capitalise. After Kieffer Moore missed a free header, Anthony made no mistake a few minutes later when he converted Ouattara’s cross.
The Cherries could have been further in front at the break. Hennessey denied Moore, while Joe Worrall blocked the resulting follow-up on the line, and Ryan Christie was off target with a free header.
Brennan Johnson went close to an equaliser in the second half and Gibbs-White forced a save late on. But it was Surridge who rescued a point at the death, with the goal given after another VAR check for offside. Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the Vitality Stadium.
Wayne Hennessey: No doubt he would like to have got a clean-sheet. Made some important saves when the visitors came under the cosh, keeping them in with a chance of getting something from the game. Rating: 6.5/10
Serge Aurier: Started well, getting plenty of joy down the right. As soon as the opener went in, though, he suffered a rare off day defensively. Not like him at all. Rating: 5/10
Joe Worrall: Made a big block late in the first half to keep it at 1-0. Had some wobbly moments, though, as the Reds came under pressure at times. Rating: 6/10
Willy Boly: A boost to have him available as it appears the injury list is easing a little. Forest weren’t at their best at the back, though. And that’s twice he’s denied Yates a goal with an offside touch. Rating: 6/10
Renan Lodi: Had some really positive moments going forward, particularly in the opening 20 minutes. Some important contributions defensively, too, amid a few tough moments for the back line as a whole. Rating: 6.5/10
Remo Freuler: Had to really dig in at times. Collectively, it wasn’t the best of performances by the visitors, but they managed to come away with something. Rating: 6/10
Ryan Yates: A worry to see him forced off again as he clearly didn’t look comfortable. How different the game could have been had his early goal stood. Rating: 6/10
Orel Mangala: A quiet game from the summer signing. Forest needed more from him when Bournemouth were on top after opening the scoring. Rating: 5.5/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: Was superb early on, when Forest were in the ascendancy. Always looked like he had the potential to create something, even when things weren’t going the visitors’ way. Rating: 7/10
Brennan Johnson: A good ball across the face for Surridge to convert. Had plugged away and kept trying to make something happen - and it paid off. Rating: 7/10
Chris Wood: Perhaps a bit of a gambe to throw him straight in at the deep end, barely 24 hours after putting pen to paper. A difficult debut for the new man. Rating: 5/10
Subs
Danilo (for Yates, 44mins): Difficult to really judge the Brazilian as was a tough game to come into. Showed a few nice touches. Rating: 6/10
Gustavo Scarpa (for Mangala, 60mins): Made a difference with some positive play when he came on. Rating: 7/10
Sam Surridge (for Wood, 75mins): What a time to get his first Premier League goal in the Garibaldi. It could be a crucial one. Rating: 7/10
Neco Williams (for Aurier, 75mins): Really bright cameo appearance. Pushed forward and made some strong runs. Rating: 7/10
Scott McKenna (for Boly, 75mins): Possibly could have felt hard done by to lose his place after helping to keep a clean-sheet last time out. Played his part in getting something from the game. Rating: 6.5/10
Subs not used: Smith, Cook, Colback, Lingard.
Who was your Forest man of the match? Have your say in the comments below
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