Nottingham Forest return to Premier League action on Saturday against Brighton and Hove Albion, still reeling from their humbling defeat to Bournemouth.
Their Premier League position may have stayed the same, but Forest’s 5-0 defeat to Bournemouth would’ve dealt a sizeable blow to the confidence of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 22 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 54 | 21 | 33 | 53 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 23 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 44 | 21 | 23 | 47 |
| 3 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 23 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 33 | 27 | 6 | 44 |
| 4 |  Man CityManchester City | 23 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 47 | 30 | 17 | 41 |
The inquest began on the full-time whistle, with Forest fans criticising Jota Silva’s display whilst eagle-eyed supporters had noticed Espirito Santo frustrated with Murillo’s display against Bournemouth.
Neco Williams posted a defiant Instagram message as the club looked to move on from the rare setback, having the opportunity to do so on Saturday when they face Brighton.
Espirito Santo will be boosted by Ibrahim Sangare and Danilo’s returns from injury to help the Forest squad bounce back from Bournemouth. However, extra emphasis has been put on Chris Wood to help in this reaction after comments made by Brighton boss, Fabian Hurzeler.
Fabian Hurzeler praises rarely-mentioned Chris Wood attribute
Speaking to the press ahead of his encounter with Espirito Santo, Hurzeler predictably picked out Wood as the danger man at the City Ground.
Hurzeler said: “He’s [Wood] very athletic, very good in the box, very present in the box and has a good nose for where he has to be when the ball is in his area.
“I think he’s not only good at protecting the ball, but he’s also good at attacking the spaces in behind. He’s quite fast so he has the package of a really good striker, his development is impressive.”
Whether it be his ability to keep hold of the ball or his finishing, Wood has been heavily praised by opposition managers, but never for his speed.
Arne Slot hailed Wood’s work rate, but again his speed has never been something that makes him stand out, especially given how fast Anthony Elanga is beside him.
However, when looking back at some of his goals this season, it is clear to see why Hurzeler picked out this underrated side to Wood’s game.
Chris Wood’s underrated speed has helped Nottingham Forest
Referring back to Slot’s praise of Wood, his speed actually cost Liverpool in their January draw with Forest.
Wood’s pace saw him break into space alongside Virgil van Dijk, Wood profited from an excellent Elanga through ball, with his speed affording him enough time to settle himself and fire Forest into the lead on the night.
Wood became Forest’s top Premier League scorer this season to add to his accolades in red and even the history-making goal itself required a burst of pace.
Breaking in behind the Leicester defence, Wood used his speed to latch onto a Matz Sels clearance and deftly head home the goal that helped Forest secure three points in October.
The Forest coaching staff are lucky to have a striker of Wood’s strength leading their line in the Premier League, but even they perhaps haven’t fully appreciated how important his pace is to Espirito Santo’s success this season.
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