It has been a tough start for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League and that continued on Monday night as they were beaten 4-0 by Leicester City.
The defeat was Forest's fifth straight defeat and they are now bottom of the table. It took the Foxes 25 minutes to score the opener through James Maddison's deflected effort, before Harvey Barnes doubled the lead moments later.
Maddison claimed his second of the night before the break from a free kick, giving City boss Brendan Rodgers some relief as they looked on course to secure their first win of the season. Substitute Patson Daka then scored the fourth to seal the victory.
READ MORE: Nottingham Forest sent Rafa Benitez instruction amid Steve Cooper rumours
NottinghamshireLive takes a look at how the national media reported on events from the King Power Stadium...
BBC Sport, Simon Stone
Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper's reaction as James Maddison's free-kick hit the net to put Leicester City three in front told its own story. He watched Maddison line up his effort with his hands on his knees. They slipped off and he hung his head as the Leicester man ran away to celebrate.
Cooper knew Taiwo Awoniyi should have given Forest the lead and also that Jesse Lingard, signed amid much fanfare after the ex-Manchester United man was courted by so many clubs, needs to have a different kind of impact than the one that set Maddison up for the opener, which deceived Dean Henderson as it struck Scott McKenna and flew into the corner.
But his side are so obviously a work in progress. With so many new faces, the combinations required to be effective are absent. Cooper is trying to find answers in an unforgiving environment. Add in the touch of quality that saw Harvey Barnes and Maddison give Henderson no chance of keeping out shots that found the corner of his goal and it is easy to understand how, of these two sides, the Foxes are the ones who have the ingredients to get out of trouble.
The Telegraph, Jason Burt
For the winner survival; for the loser quite probably the sack. It always felt the stakes in this desperation derby were that high and so it was Brendan Rodgers who revived Leicester City and his own prospects of remaining in charge and Steve Cooper who unfortunately faces being the fourth Premier League manager to be dismissed this season after just eight games.
There was plenty of love for Cooper from the Forest fans, and credit them for the relentless noise, but how much is there left for him in the boardroom? He stood stony-faced and looked like he knew the game was up as Rodgers sported the biggest of grins in sheer relief. What a stark contrast and it appears that Rafael Benítez is now poised to take over at Forest.
Although they were last position in the Championship when Cooper took over his incredibly impressive charge to gain promotion is unlikely to cut it for club owner Evangelis Marinakis who was here for this damning defeat. Both teams sensed each other’s vulnerabilities. But only one exploited them and it was Leicester who dominated from start to finish and so they scored twice, just 109 seconds apart, and once more before half-time to rip the heart out of Forest.
The Guardian, Ben Fisher
Forest actually should have taken the lead on 22 minutes but Taiwo Awoniyi clipped a post after being freed through on goal by Morgan Gibbs-White and three minutes later Dean Henderson was fishing the ball out of the Forest net. Jesse Lingard’s poor clearance dropped kindly for Maddison to take a touch and then curl an effort at goal, which deflected in via Scott McKenna.
Maddison made the pitch his playground and less than two minutes later he helped Leicester double their advantage with a sumptuous diagonal pass in search of Vardy from inside his own half. Vardy located Barnes, who cut inside Neco Williams and emphatically blasted the ball into the far corner.
Cooper decided to match-up Leicester by adopting a similar 4-2-3-1 but his plan was in tatters by the break, at which point he hooked Kouyaté, Lewis O’Brien and Williams, with the latter replaced by Serge Aurier for his Forest debut. Danny Ward’s hesitation almost handed Forest a route back into the game after the break. Eventually Ward decided to confront the Forest striker but Awoniyi could not beat the Leicester goalkeeper and Brennan Johnson, for once, was too slow to tuck in the rebound. At full-time Cooper went over to the fans and raised the palm of his hand. It looked like an apology but it would be no surprise if it turned out to be a goodbye.
Daily Mail, Tom Collomosse
Back in February, Leicester were thrashed 4-1 by Forest in the FA Cup, but here they took revenge by claiming their first win of the season. Had this one gone the other way, who knows what Rodgers' fate might have been?
Instead, Maddison's double, either side of Harvey Barnes' stunner, put the Foxes 3-0 up at the break before substitute Patson Daka added an impish fourth. Now it is Cooper who fears for his future. After spending £150million in the summer on 22 players, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is unlikely to accept a run of five straight defeats, with Rafa Benitez among those on their radar.
'I refuse to be really critical of the players because relationships are built over time and we haven't had that,' said Cooper. 'But we gave too much space to Leicester and I didn't like us in duels. We are not yet the team we want to be.' Yet his reputation as one of the brightest coaches in the game remains intact, and the Forest fans made their feelings clear, chanting Cooper's name regularly.
The Sun, Charlie Wyett
And the contrast with Steve Cooper could not have been greater as the glum-looking Forest manager had the look of someone knowing that trouble is around the corner.
Ominously, Leicester owner and chairman Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha jetted in to watch his struggling team win thanks to a brilliant performance by two-goal James Maddison. And in their place at the foot of the Premier League are now Forest, who have just four points from eight games.
Weirdly, this is exactly the same record Forest had when Cooper joined the club 13 months ago. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has never been known for patience at his other concern, Olympiacos. And the Greek is likely to be even angrier as he has thrown £150million on 23 players yet already, Forest look in deep trouble.
Sky Sports, Adam Bate
When Taiwo Awoniyi was put through on goal by Morgan Gibbs-White, that was Forest's chance to punish the home side and change the mood inside the stadium. But the striker struck the foot of Danny Ward's post and within minutes the game was away from Forest.
Jesse Lingard's poor clearance fell kindly for Maddison and his shot deflected off Scott McKenna past Dean Henderson and into the net. Moments later, Barnes, who had tormented Neco Williams from the start, curled the ball into the corner sparking cathartic celebrations. The way that confidence flooded back into the Leicester players should worry any supporters of sides thinking Rodgers' team are relegation candidates. The quality remains.
The magnificent Maddison showed that when he whipped in a free-kick to make it three. Perhaps it is to be expected that this new-look side should struggle for cohesion but eight games into the season and after a two-week break more was expected than this. It was a troubling performance. The away support were vocal in their support during the second half - defiant even. But the cheers came from the home fans at the final whistle.
What did you make of Forest's performance? Let us know in the comment section...
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