Sky Sports commentator Seb Hutchinson has raved about two Nottingham Forest stars after Sunday’s win over Aston Villa. Ola Aina and Orel Mangala scored to give the Reds a huge three points.
Forest were on Sky Sports on Sunday, with Hutchinson once again the man behind the microphone. The commentator has developed quite a reputation among Forest fans who seem to like Hutchinson.
On Sunday, his stock went even higher among the fan base. When Forest fans sang ‘Mull of Kintyre’ ahead of kick-off, Hutchinson remained silent to let the viewers get a feel for the atmosphere.
Hutchinson raves about two Forest stars
The two players who came in for praise from the Sky man were Moussa Niakhate and Murillo. Forest built their performance around a solid defence on Sunday and that didn’t go unnoticed.
Both players were in tremendous form as a central defensive pairing, stifling a strike force that simply hasn’t been able to stop scoring. Hutchinson was impressed and thought the Forest pair have to play.
He told The Garibaldi Red Podcast: “The centre-back pairing were fantastic. There was something to really love about both Murillo and Niakhate. They got everything right. Murillo was fantastic but Niakhate again was tight to Watkins, aggressive and they didn’t give anything away.
“Right now, they look like the centra-back pairing and it will be interesting to see what Steve Cooper does going forward. Those two look like they’re going to go on a run in the side, they have to after that performance, it’s like Des Walker and Kenny Burns reincarnated not to go over the top but the crowd were really appreciating their performances.”
Forest duo must keen places this weekend
Hutchinson is right. This is a partnership that Forest must now utilise and the duo seem to bring a good balance to the heart of the defensive unit.
Forest do have a number of players waiting patiently in reserve. Willy Boly was on the bench at the weekend, whilst Joe Worrall wasn’t even in the matchday squad.
Niakhate and Murillo look like a partnership that supports each other. Hutchinson is right when he praises the Forest pair and surely, Steve Cooper will have learned a lot about his defence at the weekend.
West Ham will be a tough nut to crack this weekend at The London Stadium. With Murillo and Niakhate in tandem, however, they shouldn’t find it easy to break Forest down.
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