Nottingham Forest 2-2 Leicester City: Foxes take a point against Champions League chasing Forest | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest have clinched European football for the first time in nearly 30 years despite a disappointing draw at home to local rivals Leicester City. In a game between an already relegated side and one chasing a place Champions League, there was nothing to separate both teams.

Following the earlier kick-off in which Chelsea lost away to Newcastle United, Forest had the opportunity to jump into fifth place, but poor defending combined with a lack of efficiency in front of goal kept them in seventh place and leaving The City Ground with a sense of dejection.

An early goal from Conor Coady was met with a fantastic goal and assist from Morgan Gibbs-White to reply. Chris Wood took his goal tally to 20 for the season, while Jamie Vardy will have to keep chasing his 200th for Leicester despite having played a crucial role in Facundo Buonanotte equaliser.

As it happened

Nottingham Forest started with incredible intensity which resulted in two great chances that fell to Wood, but he couldn’t convert. The striker is exactly who they would’ve wanted the chances to fall to, but his goal-scoring form has slowed down along with the team’s as a whole.

Against the run of play, Leicester City took the lead after a long throw from Luke Thomas on the right side which was not cleared well enough by Forest. Bilal EL Khannouss volleyed the ball with enough power to force Matz Sels to parry into a dangerous area and Coady was the most alert to convert.

The Reds responded well with a goal 25 minutes in, which came from a free-kick won by and taken by Anthony Elanga, who added another assist to his ever-growing collection. The whipped cross was scored by Gibbs-White, who was unmarked at the near post, allowing him to the ball downwards to equalise for the home side.

The Foxes showed some commitment that had been missing all season by putting their body on the line to deny Forest from taking the lead. The home side persisted with an excellent left-footed cross from Neco Williams which found Nicolás Domínguez, who connected well with his shot. While Jakub Stolarczyk was equal to it, he was fortunate that Wood fluffed his chance yet again on the rebound.

Domínguez had a chance to score after finding space in the opposition box but opted for a diving header rather than a firm finish. It was yet another chance created by Elanga but wasted by his teammates.

As the hour approached and the chances racked up, Nottingham Forest’s second goal felt inevitable and came from the home side’s Player of the Match on the day, Gibbs-White. The captain picked the ball up on the right side and with no hesitation put in a superb cross that swung into Wood’s path. The Kiwi finally converted one of the many chances he had on the day. It was a moment that showcased the quality that Forest have on the pitch whereby they can punish a team in a moment. That took Wood’s tally to 20 for the season.

There was then a moment of jeopardy for Forest when a second of miscommunication between Ola Aina and Sels led to a free ball in the box. Kasey McAteer nearly pounced on the mistake, but the Belgian between the sticks recovered well to avert the crisis.

The late pressure from the away side led to an entertaining equaliser from the Leicester substitute Buonanotte, in a moment Nuno Espírito Santo will not be fond of because of the lack of commitment in the defending from Morato. The Brazilian had come in to replace the injured Murillo but could not replicate his presence at the back.

Vardy did really well to draw two Forest players to him and the ball, leaving the substitute to pick it up in plenty of space before beating Morato to score with his weaker left foot. The away side nearly won it twice at the death, the first with 15-year old Jeremy Monga striking it at goal after a counter attack and the latter from Victor Kristiansen at the back post from yet another a great Buonanotte delivery.

Nottingham Forest now have two remaining games against West Ham and Chelsea in the hope for Champions League football next season, but will have to rely on other results going their way. They missed Murillo and Callum Hudson-Odoi in today’s fixture and it is unclear when they will return. As for the visitors, Leicester are already relegated but took some local pride back to the King Power Stadium.

The lineups

NFO: Sels; Aina, Milenković, Morato, Williams; Sangaré, Anderson; Domínguez Gibbs-White, Elanga; Wood

LEI: Stolarczyk; Justin, Faes, Coady, Thomas; Skipp, Ndidi; El Khannouss, McAteer, Ayew; Vardy