Nottingham Forest slipped to a 2-0 defeat at Stoke City on Saturday, marking the first reversal in five games for the Reds.
It was very much an underwhelming follow-up to the euphoria of Monday night’s superb win over arch-rivals Derby County.
Martin O’Neill’s men didn’t lose too much ground in the chase for the play-offs however and there is still all to play for.
Following the disappointing day at the Bet365 Stadium, Seat Pitch rated the Forest performance as follows…
Costel Pantilimon – 6
The big Romanian didn’t have any chance with the two goals and did what he was asked to with minimal fuss.
Tendayi Darikwa – 6
Worked tirelessly up and down the right and produced a solid performance.
Alexander Milosevic – 6
Not completely at fault for the defeat but this wasn’t the Swede’s best performance for the Reds. Perhaps his lack of game time prior to joining Forest caught up with him a little.
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Yohan Benalouane – 6
Not the Tunisian’s best performance in a Forest shirt, although he was pretty good in the air once again. 6/10
Jack Robinson – 5
Picked up a foolish yellow card when he didn’t need to, which will sit him out of the next two games. He was substituted in order to prevent him from getting another.
Ben Watson – 6
Did well defensively and made some decent blokes and tackles throughout. Was subbed off in the second half to make way for much-needed creativity.
Joe Lolley – 6 – Seat Pitch Star Man
Lolley can’t do it all on his own and need someone else to help him with the match-winning capabilities. Huffed and puffed and although he cut a frustrated figure at the end, he was probably Forest’s best player.
Ryan Yates – 6
Was taken off courtesy of a tactical switch but looked good once again. Worked his socks off and was typically robust in the challenge.
Jack Colback – 6
One of the first names on the team-sheet, you know what Colback will give you each and every week. Another combative performance.
Ben Osborn – 5
Worked hard as always. Had a couple of late efforts blocked but couldn’t quite supply the spark that was needed.
Daryl Murphy – 6
Did his bit for the team but fed off scraps throughout the game. Murphy’s quality is based on the service he receives – on Saturday he got very little.
Substitutes
Joao Carvalho 6 (Watson, 53′)
A performance which showcased lots of ring rust from the Portugal u21 international. Was thrown on to offer a creative spark but simply couldn’t get going.
Adlene Guedioura 6 (Yates, 64′)
The Algerian looked composed and assured but could inject any real significance into an abject performance.
Leo Bonatini 6 (Robinson, 71′)
The Brazilian just needs games to get his fitness up to scratch. It is clear that he hasn’t played much football of late.
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