Nottingham Forest succumbed to defeat for just the second time this season when Newcastle secured victory against the Reds.
Nuno Espirito Santo was impressed with Murillo for notching his maiden goal for the club but the joy didn’t last.
Forest conceded three second-half goals against the Magpies to slip down to fifth in the Premier League table.
Despite the defeat, it’s still been a positive start to the season for Forest and all is by no means lost.
During the loss to Newcastle, some players did produce the goods and one of those was midfield maestro Nicolas Dominguez.
Nicolas Dominguez teaches Nottingham Forest star a big lesson vs Newcastle
The eye test is always a big thing when it comes to judging a footballer.
Statistics can tell you anything you want them to but sometimes just by watching a footballer, you can discover a lot.
Yesterday as Forest were heading to defeat against Newcastle, I witnessed Dominguez teach Yates a big lesson.
Playing in the Premier League is tough and frankly, yesterday wasn’t the game for Ryan Yates.
The 27-year-old met his matches with Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton, with both players enjoying the physical side of the game.
Neither Newcastle player was fazed by Yates being a nuisance and he had to bring something different to the party.
Dominguez is essentially Yates with more technical ability. The Argentine showcased to the academy graduate what he needed to aspire to during the latest defeat.
Dominguez and Yates can still prove a good partnership for Forest
I don’t want this to sound like a dig at Yates.
He wasn’t great yesterday against Newcastle but that’s because it simply wasn’t the game for him to do what he’s good at.
Yates has been brilliant for a number of weeks now and he’s comfortably the most improved player over the last few years at Forest.
There will be times this season when Yates is required in the engine room but there will be times when Forest need two ball players.
| Statistic – 24/25 | Nicolas Dominguez | Ryan Yates |
| Appearances (subbed on) | 6 (3) | 7 (4) |
| Tackles | 20 | 18 |
| Tackles won | 10 | 9 |
| Fouls committed | 9 | 18 |
| Blocks | 14 | 9 |
| Progressive passes | 24 | 23 |
Dominguez signed for Forest for just £8 million from Bologna and he’s been a very useful addition to the team.
There have been games where Yates has outshone his teammate this season with the pair striking up a nice partnership.
Now, the conundrum for Espirito Santo is to discover which games require Yates to come in and cause havoc to the opposition.
Dominguez showcased to Yates yesterday what he needs to aspire to if he’s to truly become the midfield general that some people believe him to be.
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