Nottingham Forest defeated Brentford 2-0 on Sunday to move five points clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone.
Goals from Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi gave Forest a second win in three matches and ensured West Ham’s win over Sunderland on Saturday didn’t really make too much of a difference.
Sean Dyche was a relieved man at the final whistle, and Forest now go into next Sunday’s huge game against Crystal Palace full of confidence to get more points on the board.
There were a number of top performers against an in-form Brentford, but Alan Shearer is in no doubt as to who he thought Forest’s best player was at the weekend.
Alan Shearer raves about Nikola Milenkovic
Shearer picks the Official Premier League Team of the Week, and this week he’s decided that Milenkovic deserves a place for his performance against Brentford.
Coming up against the in-form striker Igor Thiago, this was never going to be an easy assignment, but Milenkovic – and Murillo – passed it with flying colours.
Shearer said on Milenkovic: “Solid. More than played his part in Forest’s clean sheet at Brentford.”
Milenkovic signed for Forest for £12 million in the summer of 2024, and so far, he’s been practically ever-present in the team since his arrival.
🔠How would you rate Nikola Milenkovic’s performance vs Brentford?
Alan Shearer has named the Serbian in the official Team of the Week
Milenkovic is so important for Forest
The Serbian player is unbelievable at the back for Forest, and ultimately, he’s the most important player that the Reds have defensively.
When it comes to winning aerial challenges, there really is nobody in the Forest team like Milenkovic, and his old-fashioned traits make him the perfect foil alongside Murillo.
Milenkovic probably should be the Forest captain. The Reds have Morgan Gibbs-White as the influential leader wearing the armband and nothing against him but the Serbian is a real leader of men.
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