Elliot Anderson haunted his former club with a late equalizer, rescuing a vital point for Forest and punishing wasteful Newcastle after Harvey Barnes’ clinical second-half strike.
Nottingham Forest & Newcastle United shared the points in a tense 1-1 draw at the City Ground today, in a match that carried huge significance at both ends of the Premier League table. Forest were desperate to edge closer to safety following their midweek Europa League disappointment, while Newcastle were looking to build momentum after an inconsistent run of form. In the end, neither side could find a winner, although the late drama ensured the contest remained gripping until the final whistle.
The opening stages were cagey, with both teams struggling to create clear-cut opportunities. Nottingham Forest showed plenty of energy despite the fatigue of their recent European campaign, pressing aggressively and trying to use the pace of Dilane Bakwa and Taiwo Awoniyi on the counterattack. Newcastle, meanwhile, attempted to dominate possession through Bruno Guimarães and Sandro Tonali, but Forest’s midfield duo of Elliott Anderson and Nicolás Domínguez worked tirelessly to disrupt their rhythm. It did take a whilst for Lewis Hall to get into the game whilst having to get used to playing at Right Back.
Forest arguably had the better chances during the first half. Awoniyi came close on two occasions, first forcing Nick Pope into a smart save before narrowly missing the target with a header from a James McAtee cross. Newcastle responded through William Osula, whose movement caused occasional problems for the Forest defence, but the visitors lacked composure in the final third. Nick Woltemade has promise but his lack of game time led to him being wasteful in possessions and being sloppy with the ball giving away possession a few times.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Forest pushing forward and Newcastle looking dangerous on the break. Eddie Howe introduced fresh legs from the bench, and the changes eventually paid off in the 74th minute. Harvey Barnes, arriving at the perfect moment inside the penalty area, finished clinically after a clever assist from Jacob Ramsey with a well-weighted through ball to give Newcastle the lead. It was a blow for Forest, who had matched the visitors for much of the afternoon. Barnes is clinical and fans feel confident when he is in on goal, Ramsey's assist was a thing of beauty, a wonderfully weighted ball from the midfield allowing Barnes to just run onto it and guide it into the net.
However, Vítor Pereira’s side refused to surrender. The home crowd responded immediately, roaring their team forward in search of an equaliser. Their persistence was rewarded in the 88th minute when Elliot Anderson haunted his former club with a superb finish from a tight angle after being played through by McAtee. Anderson’s celebration showed exactly how much the moment meant, as the City Ground erupted with relief and joy. But questions remain on whether Guimaraes and Hall could have done better, Bruno has came straight back into the side from injury and you can sometimes see he is not yet fully fit.
Newcastle have now dropped 27 points from winning positions. Eddie Howe will also now face questions from the fans given his team selection that saw Lewis Hall play out of position at right back, Nick Pope keeping his place despite howlers in the last two games and given Anthony Gordon has not featured from the bench in the last two games. Is he really committed? The last 2 line up's from Eddie Howe raised eyebrows within the fanbase, whilst he can feel justified against Brighton, today's draw will keep those questions coming.
Nottingham Forest Line-up
Matz Sels; Nikola Milenković, Jair Cunha, Morato, Luca Netz; Elliott Anderson, Nicolás Domínguez, Neco Williams (C), Dilane Bakwa, Igor Jesus, Taiwo Awoniyi.
Subs: Chris Wood (73’ T Awoniyi), Eric da Silva Moreira, Lorenzo Lucca (83’ I Jesus), Omari Hutchinson (64’ D Bawka), Ryan Yates (46’ N Domínguez), James McAtee (83’ L Netz), Stefan Ortega, Archie Whitehall, Jimmy Sinclair.
Newcastle United Line-up
Nick Pope; Lewis Hall, Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman, Dan Burn; Sandro Tonali; Bruno Guimarães (C), Joelinton, Jacob Murphy, William Osula, Nick Woltemade.
Subs: Kieran Trippier (95’ B Guimarães), Yoane Wissa (71’ W Osula), Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes (61’ J Murphy), Anthony Elanga, Joe Willock, Aaron Ramsdale, Alex Murphy, Jacob Ramsey (61’ N Woltemade).