Champion League
Forest: Garner had masterclass v West Brom
Nottingham Forest boosted their Championship promotion hopes on Monday night, with an impressive 4-0 drubbing over rivals West Bromwich Albion.
Steve Bruce’s side found themselves at an immediate disadvantage, when Darnell Furlong was shown a second yellow in the 17th minute of play.
Though, Forest – who were out to respond to their loss against Luton Town last time out – made the most of their extra man advantage to secure a massively important three points.
The game featured some brilliantly taken goals from the likes of Brennan Johnson, Ryan Yates and Sam Surridge – with Jack Colback’s screamer from out wide being the pick of the bunch.
Forest boss Steve Cooper had his say on his side’s 4-0 demolition job:
“To win a game 4-0, you have to do a lot of things well – and we did. We took real control.
Who is more important to Forest?
“It was a job well done. We just played really well.”
The Reds were superb in Monday’s game at The City Ground, though there were two players that really stood out.
Academy graduate, Brennan Johnson was excellent, slotting a cool penalty home and bagging an assist for Colback’s contender for goal of the season.
Though, it was Manchester United loanee James Garner who impressed the most, with a metronomic performance that saw him make 63-passes with an 89% accuracy.
The £20k-per-week talent has been one of Forest’s main creative outlets in a season that has seen him chip in with ten goal contributions (four goals and six assists) in 36 appearances, in what is his second campaign with the Reds.
Consistency has been a big part of Garner’s game this season and Monday night’s game against Bruce’s Baggies side saw him deliver on his average of around two key passes per match.
Though it was from a set-piece in which Garner got his assist, with a pin-point corner kick that met the head of Ryan Yates who took his goal well.
The 21-year-old was active in front of goal himself with his three shot attempts threatening to add to David Button’s misery between the West Brom sticks. This, despite the young Englishman occupying a position that requires defensive responsibility – with his positional acumen a positive indication of both his “football brain” and his composure in progressing the ball.
According to SofaScore, Garner received a rating of 7.4, making him the joint-third best player on the pitch for what was an all-round impressive performance for the young Manchester United loanee.
