Nottingham Forest’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League have been dented as they have been deservedly crushed 2-1 by Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Having been taken to further time and penalties by League One Exeter Metropolis within the FA Cup on Tuesday, Forest regarded as if they have been feeling the results of their lengthy journey down south and have been second greatest.
Fulham took the lead within the first half by means of Emile Smith-Rowe, who made a intelligent run to the again publish to go in Adama Traore’s cross.
The house facet regarded a lot livelier, shifting the ball faster and with extra objective and regarded like they’d much more vitality than their opponents.
Traore loved a nice afternoon, the kind of recreation that he’s able to however don’t occur fairly sufficient given the unimaginable bodily attributes he possesses.
Forest got hope of strengthening their sudden push to qualify for Europe’s elite competitors when Chris Wooden took the one probability he was introduced with within the first half, nonetheless.
Forest didn’t search for their goal man sufficient and once they did, he ruthlessly punished Fulham, seizing on Morgan Gibbs-White’s hopeful ball ahead, getting the higher of the central defenders after which clinically curling into the underside nook.
This was a really un-Forest like efficiency, who’ve develop into recognized for the short and direct counter-attacking model of play. There was little or no of that this afternoon and Wooden’s equaliser didn’t inform an correct story of the sport.
However regardless of the underwhelming efficiency, Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo might be furious with how simple it was for Fulham to re-take the lead. Calvin Bassey was left unmarked on the again publish to go in from Raul Jimenez’s flick on from a nook to revive his facet’s lead.
Forest will hope this can be a one-off poor efficiency in what has been a memorable marketing campaign thus far. Nuno’s facet have been the shock story of the season, and nonetheless sit third within the Premier League desk regardless of their defeat.
Fulham, in the meantime, strengthened their very own push for European qualification with this victory, sitting eighth within the Premier League desk and simply two factors off Newcastle in seventh.