Nottingham Forest found redemption in their first home game of the Premier League season, after suffering an opening day defeat.
Steve Cooper’s side were late victors at the City Ground against newly promoted Sheffield United, winning 2-1 in the dying embers to get their first round of points on the board in the 2023/24 calendar.
Who scored for Nottingham Forest against Sheffield United?
The hosts made a statement by scoring in the opening five minutes of play, as Taiwo Awoniyi fired the Tricky Trees ahead after just three minutes played on his return to the starting 11.
Forest continued to look lively throughout proceedings, however just after the interval, the Blades claimed their first goal since their return to the top-flight, scored by new arrival Gustavo Hamer.
The Dutchman took just 48 minutes on his debut to secure his first goal for his new club, signing for Sheffield United just six days ago and making an instant statement by scoring from distance.
It was however Cooper’s side that had the last laugh, with Chris Wood handing the Reds all three points in the 89th minute, getting on the end of a delightful Serge Aurier cross, with the full-back being highly influential on the flank and earning two assists.
How did Morgan Gibbs-White perform against Sheffield United?
While Awoniyi and Wood were clinical and Aurier’s distribution was silky, Morgan Gibbs-White stole the show at the City Ground, showcasing just how much of a menace he can be in the attacking sequences.
The Englishman earned a Sofascore match rating of 7.9 as he reminded his former loan club of just what he can do, falling just short of Aurier, who was the site’s man of the match with a stellar rating of 8.2.
Having been lauded as “magic” by journalist Jamie Martin for his performance, the former Wolves sensation was at his best on Friday night, pulling the strings at the heart of the attack to orchestrate the state of play ahead of him.
While his skillfulness and playmaking artistry were admirable for the eye, his numbers supported just how influential he was to the game, and relayed his importance in Cooper’s side.
As per Sofascore, the 23-year-old – who earns a reported £80k-per-week – made four key passes in the 98 minutes he played, showing up when it mattered with him making a moderate 67 touches in the game but providing the goods when possession came his way.
The dynamic midfielder had one shot on target to assert his threat on goal, however the most impressive area to his performance, and game in general, was his ability to dictate the tempo.
Completing four out of five long balls, the Englishman was an assured presence in Cooper’s attack, but not offensively, as he showed his strength and combative side in a highly contested midfield battle.
The Stafford-born marvel won seven out of the 13 ground duels he attempted, making two tackles to cement his dominance in the match.
It’s well known that the 23-year-old is more than likely going to be one to watch for Forest, however, Friday night’s performance reinforced just how integral he is at the City Ground.
