In a cagey 90 minutes, it was going to take something special for Nottingham Forest to beat Manchester City, which is exactly what Morgan Gibbs-White delivered.
Ironically, Pep Guardiola singled out Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi for praise and it was the very same two Forest stars who combined for the winning goal, moving Forest four points clear of City in the crucial Champions League run-in.
The Premier League is set for five Champions League places next season so any buffer that the Forest squad can create from the likes of City will go a long way to securing one of those places, making Gibbs-White’s game-changing pass for Hudson-Odoi even more important.
Unsurprisingly, Forest are looking to offer Gibbs-White a new contract and his display against City proved just why, so much so that Forest took to social media to wax lyrical about their midfield talisman.
Nottingham Forest fans react to ‘world-class’ Morgan Gibbs-White impact against Manchester City
Rio Ferdinand hailed Murillo for his colossal display at the back for Forest, but fans at the City Ground and watching from home will have been more interested in the winning goal by Hudson-Odoi, which owed much to Gibbs-White’s creative excellence.
A pinpoint switch of play from the 25-year-old opened up the City defence completely, giving Hudson-Odoi the space to finish. However, Forest fans were clearly more impressed with Gibbs-White’s role.
One Forest fan said: “What a ball from Morgan Gibbs-White,” with another adding: “That pass from Morgan Gibbs-White was incredible.”
Another fan said: “Gibbs-White is a magician,” While another said: “That assist from Gibbs White is unbelievable.”
Continuing the praise, one fan added: “World-class pass from Gibbs White for the goal,” with another saying: “Gibbs-White is a joke of a player.”
It wasn’t just the assist that made Gibbs-White’s display worth celebrating, though, with his all-around performance deserving credit too.
Morgan Gibbs-White bossed the midfield against Manchester City
Gibbs-White is closing in on Forest’s Premier League assist record so the involvement against City would have been pleasing on a personal level, but even without it he was exceptional.
| Statistic | Morgan Gibbs-White vs Manchester City |
| Pass accuracy (%) | 27/30 (90%) |
| Passes into final third | 4 |
| Duels won | 5 |
| Successful dribbles | 2 |
| Dribbled past | 0 |
Forest only had 31% of the ball so his 90% pass accuracy was crucial to give Espirito Santo’s side the chance to capitalise on their rare bouts of possession, highlighted further by the four passes into the final third.
Perhaps even more important on the day, though, was defensive solidity against the possession-hungy City, with Gibbs-White’s five duels won and the fact he wasn’t dribbled past once showing that he more than played his part at the other end too.
There were rumours in January that Liverpool looked into a deal for Gibbs-White, but if Forest are to secure Champions League football and then thrive in the competition, the Reds will need to keep their star man to allow him to show more of what he did against City.
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