Nottingham Forest 2–2 Leicester City Player Ratings: Forest Held to a Stalemate by Their Relegated Rival Leicester

It's a match between two teams with contrasting performance, contrasting aspirations and contrasting goals for the season. The top six contenders Nottingham Forest face off against the team that is struggled to keep them away from the vicious relegation trap and ultimately succumbed to it - Leicester City at the Tricky Trees, the City Ground for the antepenultimate matchday of the Premier League. A win was necessary for both the teams - for Forest, secure their spot in the Champions League and for City to end the season on a higher note and make the fans feel a sense of joy - which they rarely felt this season. For this reason, the match was expected to be a nail biter.

Forest got the ball rolling and from the very first whistle they were having a full-on offensive approach. They tried to attack from the wings with the services of Neco Williams and Anthony Elanga. Both the players created some brilliant chances which however was missed in the final third by Chris Wood. But after a moment Forest became so focused into attacking and this was properly countered by City as they scored the opener from the services of Coady who lurked inside the box to head in the second ball which came from a shot off Khannouss giving his team a lead.

But this was short lived as the hosts replied in the same style. Elanga who tried to make a run from the right wing was fouled and this freekick went straight into the first post where there was a lot of space left. Gibbs-White who saw this space filled it to take a header shot that marked the equalizer for Forest. After this moment the tides shifted and both teams played the ball more or less in the midfield and at half time the score remained level at 1-1.

In the second half it was City who had an upper edge. But same as what Forest did in the first half, City got too much focused in the attack which gave away a lot of space in the defense. Gibbis-White who saw this space made a long pass inside the box and this was headed in by Chris Wood giving Forest the lead. However, City again continued to attack, and this bore results in the 81st minute as the substitute Buantotte came into rescue for City and he took the ball that came off a flick from Vardy, made a run inside the box and scored for his team making it 2-2. In the final minutes the City attack became so strong, but the keeper stood strong to keep the score in a tie. At full time both teams shared the spoils with two goals each.

Forest who could have reached the fifth place dropped to seventh and though they almost secure their place in Europe next year, their Champions League hopes to diminish, and this would feel like a big chance slipped out from their hands.

Here are the Nottingham Forest vs Leicester City Player Ratings.

Nottingham Forest Player Ratings vs Leicester City

GK - Matz Sels- 6.5/10

Was not challenged a lot throughout the match. Whenever he was challenged, he did well. Dived to the left to save a powerful shot off Khannouss. But the defenders failed to clear off this ball and that ultimately led to the opponents scoring. Was nothing much he could have done to keep the goal away. Made some stunning saves when the defence became weak.

LB - Neco Williams - 6/10

Was seen contributing into the attack from the very first minute from the wings. Attempted to make almost 6-7 crosses but to his disappointment all the balls either went to the opponents or to no man's land. Though he was seen everywhere in the left flank his role in creating some serious pressure on the opponents remained minimal.

CB - Morato - 5.5/10

Was one of the worst performers of the day. Was seen being a lot comfortable and this backfires as it posed huge threat for his team. Gave away gaps in the backline and this was properly infiltrated by the opponents. Failed to cover the opponent attackers and was saved either because the keeper stood tall or because the opponents messed up in the final moment.

CB - Nikola Milenković - 5.8/10

Actively cleared the ball when the opponents tried to attack through the wings. Was the source of most of the long balls that came from the back line. Gave away tons of space in the back and this was not resolved till the end. During the final minutes, the defence totally shattered as City players were making back-to-back attacks and some of them were sure shot goals. Was saved by the brilliance of the keeper.

RB - Ola Aina - 6/10

Was decent in the game. Nothing extraordinary and nothing very worse. Had a decent performance. Made minimal contributions in every aspect of the game be it tackles, interceptions, successful dribbles, winning duels and so on. Failed to be consistent in one area and do exceptionally well there.

CM - Elliot Anderson - 5.5/10

Though he won some balls, most of them were difficult ones to bring under immediate control. Tried to make some moves and find space to infiltrate in which at the end he failed. Fell short of the opponents almost every time he had the ball and tried to craft play. Had a disappointing day and did not have the performance as he would have expected to have so.

CM - Ibrahim Sangaré - 7/10

Had a brilliant day at the office. Exceled in every aspect of the game he was involved in. Had a good number of tackles and interceptions. Was seen winning back possession whenever his team lost possession. Had a great passing accuracy. Was pivotal in wining duels in the midfield third as he won almost all the duels he was involved in, whether it be ground or ariel.

LM - Nicolás Domínguez - 6.5/10

Was very active in the left wing as he made some speedy dribbles to run past the City wing backs. Had a solid passing accuracy and was seen making some good long passes. Took a powerful shot in the late minutes of the first half which to his dismay was somehow saved by the keeper. Missed a very easy chance which was destined to be the second goal for his team as he made a very bad decision to head a ball which he could have easily tapped in with his feet. The manager was seen frustrated at the player for making this poor decision. Was subbed off in the second half.

AM - Morgan Gibbs-White - 8/10

Had a consistent passing accuracy throughout the match. Found space inside the box during a set-piece, made quick movements there and properly connected the ball to make a powerful header to equalize the score for Forest. Made a brilliant long pass inside the box passing all the defenders targeting Chris Wood which marked the second goal for his team. Was the playmaker for his team having a major contribution for the win.

RM - Anthony Elanga - 7/10

Had wonderful wing play in the first half. Made some brilliant crosses from the right flank on target which could have potentially led to goals. Made some runs in the attack which won some freekicks for his team in the attacking third. One such freekick was the root cause of the equalizer scored by the team. He took a proper freekick which went straight to White, who just had to connect it to find the back of the net.

CF - Chris Wood - 7/10

Got a chance to create tensions for the opponent in the early minutes of the game, but he failed to connect properly, and the ball sailed over the goal. Minutes later the player missed a sitter out of a cross that came from the right off Anthony. Was seen visibly frustrated as he struggled to finish. Felt like his goal scoring boot was missing somewhere in the first half. In the second half he was seen with much vigor to score, and he finally registered his name in the scoresheet doubling the delight for his team.

Sub - Ryan Yates - 6/10

Sub - Taiwo Awoniyi - 6/10

Sub - Jota Silva - 6/10

Manager - Nuno Espírito Santo - 6/10

Though his tactics worked properly till the 80th minute, from then it felt like everything went down to ruins. Was terrible in the last minutes. His substitutions were not up to the mark and subbing off the key players backfired him badly. Was subject to some unprecedented scenes as the chairman was seen furious at him.

Leicester City Player Ratings vs Nottingham Forest

GK - Jakub Stolarczyk - 6/10

Had to punch out the ball from the very first minute. Though he was challenged pretty early than he could have expected, he kept his calm and made some good catches. Was pressed a lot by the opponents. While this pressing made him fumble a bit, later on once he got the pace of the game he did well. Had pretty much nothing to do with the opponents' goals as they were primarily caused due to the defensive inconsistency of his team.

LB - Luke Thomas - 5.8/10

Launched some long throw-ins inside the box from both the flanks that certainly put the opponents in some worry. One such throw laid foundation for the opener. However, while coming to his role as a winger, he failed to resist Elange from causing trouble. Made a bad foul which led to a booking.

CB - Wout Faes - 6/10

He along with Coady left a lot of space in the initial minutes when Forest deployed a full-on attack strategy. Later on, it felt like he failed to communicate with the other players as the Forest players easily went past through the back line. Was saved from humiliation of conceding almost half a dozen goals only because the opponents struggled a bit in attack.

CB - Conor Coady - 6.8/10

Was the fox in the box as he lurked in the opponent's box whenever his team won set pieces. Had presence of mind and stood inside the box when Khannouss took the shot. The ball which hit the keepers hand came straight to him which he converted easily to get City the much-required lead and scoring his first ever Premier League goal.

RB - James Justin - 6/10

Had a bad day overall. Made some unnecessary fouls in the second half, which straight on targeted the opponent man rather than the ball. These poor decisions by the player led to him being booked by the referee. In the second half, he failed to properly cover Chris Wood, and this mistake led to his team trailing two goals to one after leading.

CM - Wilfred Ndidi - 6/10

Had an average passing accuracy, was okay in winning duels and had minimal involvents in the defence. Lost possession multiple times in the game which gave chances for Forest to counter.

CM - Oliver Skipp - 6/10

Did not have many contributions in the first half. This probably made the player frustrated and this frustration led to him making some fouls in dangerous places. Made some really good saves when Forest tried to create some confusion inside the box. Was seen making some rash fouls and overall had a pretty disappointing day.

LM - Bilal El Khannouss - 6/10

Properly positioned himself outside the box to take a powerful shot off the second ball which though was save by the keeper, ultimately found the back off the net in the follow up. Apart from that he did not have a great role to play in the match.

AM - Jordan Ayew - 6/10

Had a minimal role throughout the game. Did not have many touches with the ball and this was a reason for his 100% passing accuracy. Was successful in only six out of the seventeen duels he was involved in. This ultimately led to the gaffer calling him back to the bench in the second half.

RM - Kasey McAteer - 6/10

Had an average game overall. Was involved in almost a dozen duels but failed to win even half of them. Tried to dribble past through the opponent wing backs and was only successful once so. Gave away possession a lot of times which again added up tensions to the already broken Leicester team.

CF - James Vardy - 6.7/10

Made some blunders as he gave away the ball to the opponents and created some serious trouble. Entered the pitch with an aim to register his 200th Premier League goal. Though he did his best to achieve this feat, everything came into vain as there was something lacking in his finishing. Made some really poor passes in the final third rather than trying for a shot. Was unselfish in the match but had he been a bit selfish could have scored a goal. Flicked in a ball from the middle that acted as an assist for the second goal.

Sub - B. Soumare - 6/10

Sub - F. Buonanotte - 7/10

Came in as a sub in the second half. Though he made a bad decision and got booked, his presence came vital as he scored the equalizing goal for his team.

Sub - V. Kristiansen - 6/10

Sub - J. Monga - 6/10

Sub - Kaleb Okoli - NA

Manager - Ruud van Nistelrooy - 7/10

Had the lead initially. But later somehow lost the lead and went trailing. Saw the weakness in the defence and properly deployed tactics to counter them. This saw his team rise from the ruins. Was able to help his team regroup. Made timely and perfect substitutions which gave his team the draw.

Sportsdunia's Player of the Match is Morgan Gibbs-White.