Nottingham Forest 2-0 Birmingham City (EFL Championship) 09.04.22

Nottingham Forest are sitting pretty in third place in the Championship table tonight following their second 2-0 home win of the week against West Midland opposition.

The Reds took the lead as early as five minutes into the game when Zinckernagel pinched possession allowing Brennan Johnson to play through Keinan Davis who smashed past Etheridge from a tight angle to send the City Ground crowd into early ecstasy. Davis enjoying his goal in front of the Blues supporters, after all he’s an Aston Villa owned footballer and knows all about the rivalry between the two halves of Birmingham.

After their early set back, City did look to hit back but Forest had more control in a first half which they looked much the better side in, the Blues struggling for goals in recent weeks tested Samba through Richards but the Reds stopper had no trouble gathering the strikers shot from the edge of the area.

Garner went close to a second for Forest before half time as he curled a shot inches wide before Keinan Davis headed straight at the goalkeeper early in the second period. Yates then tested Etheridge from 25 yards as the Reds looked for a second, the Philippines International was again called upon to deny Davis on 55.

In the thick of the action, Etheridge then went down under a collision with Djed Spence and had to be stretched off with a concerning head injury which also forced a long delay to the proceedings, Birmingham bringing on Connal Trueman to take the goalkeepers place but Trueman could do nothing about Scott McKenna firing in his third Forest career goal on 79, the Scottish International defender heading home from Garner’s corner.

The win is Forest’s fourth successive league victory and takes the club to their highest position this season, six points now behind second placed Bournemouth (who Forest still have to play at the Vitality) whilst Blackburn in seventh, are now four points behind the Reds who are strongly cementing at least a playoff slot.

Nottingham Forest: Samba, Worrall, Figueiredo, McKenna, Spence, Yates, Colback, Garner, Zinckernagel (Grabban 81), Johnson (Surridge 81), Davis (Lolley 81).

Birmingham City: Etheridge (Trueman 70), Gordon, Roberts, Colin, Hernandez (Graham 76), Gardner, Sunjic, Bacuna, Pedersen, Richards (Jutkiewicz 82), Hogan (Deeney 82).

Venue: City Ground (29,293)

*Main image @NFFC Keinan Davis in action against Birmingham.