3 things we clearly learnt about Nottingham Forest after their 4-0 defeat to Fulham | OneFootball

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Football League World

·25 October 2021

3 things we clearly learnt about Nottingham Forest after their 4-0 defeat to Fulham

Article image:3 things we clearly learnt about Nottingham Forest after their 4-0 defeat to Fulham

Steve Cooper fell to his first defeat in charge of Nottingham Forest on Sunday as Fulham 4-0 at the City Ground.

The Reds have enjoyed a very positive start to life under Cooper, who had picked up 13 points from a possible 15 heading into Sunday’s encounter.


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But a rampant second-half display from Fulham saw Marco Silva’s Cottagers leave the East Midlands with all three points.

They took the lead inside seven minutes, with Aleksandar Mitrovic’s flick from a corner finding the net via a Djed Spence deflection.

But after a positive end to the first half and strong start to the second half, Forest made a defensive mistake which allowed Mitrovic to profit and prod home.

Neeskens Kebano made it 3-0 moments later with an emphatic finish, before Mitrovic added a fourth goal from the penalty spot during a dominant 10-minute spell.

Here, we take a look at three things we clearly learnt after Forest fell to their first defeat under Steve Cooper at the weekend…

Soccer Football – Championship – Nottingham Forest v Fulham – The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain – October 24, 2021 Fulham’s Aleksander Mitrovic celebrates after scoring their fourth goal from the penalty spot Action Images/Molly Darlington??EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

After such a positive start to life under Cooper, expectations were a lot higher coming into this clash, but Forest were always going to lose at some point, and it isn’t a disgrace losing to a side who have multi-million pound players on the books.

Aleksandar Mitrovic showed his clinical side, being presented with four chances in front of goal and taking three of those chances.

Harry Wilson is a quality operator at this level and was difficult to contend from a Forest perspective, and the same can be said for the likes of Tom Cairney and Bobby Reid.

But Forest were well in the game before a rampant 10 minutes took place, and if Lewis Grabban had taken his chance right after half-time, then it could have been an entirely different game.

The players were clapped off at the end, which speaks volumes of the improvements they have made under Cooper.

This was never a 4-0 game in truth, and there is no reason to panic.

Soccer Football – Championship – Nottingham Forest v Fulham – The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain – October 24, 2021 Fulham’s Neeskens Kebano scores their third goal Action Images/Molly Darlington??EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Jack Colback had to be replaced early in the second half having picked up a yellow card in the first half, with Cooper not wanting to risk losing a man.

Garner was introduced on 51 minutes to add a bit of creativity, but he and Ryan Yates were unable to provide a solid base in midfield.

The pair allowed Jean Michael Seri, Tom Cairney and Bobby Reid to dominate the middle of the park and were overran which saw Fulham score three goals.

If Garner and Yates are to be the pair going forward, then they need to work on a balance, as they struggled against quality opposition yesterday.

Set-piece frailties

Soccer Football – Championship – Nottingham Forest v Fulham – The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain – October 24, 2021 Nottingham Forest’s Djed Spence scores an own goal and Fulham’s first goal Action Images/Molly Darlington??EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Before the international break, after a 3-0 win at Birmingham, Cooper insisted that Forest needed to work on set-pieces having failed to contend with Blues’ physical presence despite keeping a clean sheet.

At the weekend, old habits died hard, with Mitrovic allowed to run in at the front past and glance an effort towards goal which eventually found the net.

Going forward, Forest look a completely different team, but they now need to match that with a solid defence at the back, especially from dead-ball situations.

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