64 passes, 5 clearances… Nottingham Forest star dazzles despite 1-0 defeat vs Everton

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Nottingham Forest lost 1-0 to Everton on Saturday night but in Orel Mangala, they did have a player who slipped under the radar.

Very few players deserve any credit for Saturday. However, Mangala once again gave his all for the Forest cause and starred throughout.

Forest lost courtesy of Dwight McNeil’s second-half strike as they were beaten for the third time in succession.

The Reds are now just six points ahead of the relegation zone and naturally, that will intensify the pressure on Steve Cooper.

Mangala stars during Forest defeat

The Belgium international cost Forest just £12 million when he arrived from Stuttgart in the summer of 2022.

Mangala endured a bit of a frustrating first season at Forest, picking up a couple of injuries that hampered his progress.

This season, he’s been keen to make up for lost time, however, and he’s proving a really shrewd addition to the ranks.

On Saturday, he lined up in midfield alongside Ibrahim Sangare and Ryan Yates, with Cooper shuffling the pack a little bit.

Some statistics from Who Scored highlight just how good Mangala was in the Forest midfield on Saturday.

He was useful in possession and finished with a pass success ratio of 96.9% from a combined 64 passes.

He also completed five of the six long balls that he attempted during his 90 minutes on the pitch.

Defensively he was sound too. He made three tackles, completed two interceptions and also executed five clearances.

Mangala is Cooper’s unsung hero this season

The talented 25-year-old is at a good age and he should continue to improve as he plays more games for Forest.

This season Mangala has started to show Forest what he’s all about and Cooper will be delighted with his form of late.

Forest were pretty poor throughout the game against Everton and they deserved to be booed off by some sections of supporters.

Mangala was one of the shining lights, however. Forest need to keep him fit this season and given his age, there will be more to come from him.

Cooper is still striving to find a winning formula. One mainstay has to be Mangala, however, and for the Forest head coach, it’s about getting the right players around him.