Nottingham Forest 2-2 Swansea City (EFL Championship) 15.07.20

They may be getting there but they are doing it slowly. Nottingham Forest tonight took another step towards a playoff place after coming from behind to share a point with Swansea City in an entertaining and controversial game at the City Ground.

Swansea took an early lead as young Liverpool loanee Rhian Brewster smashed home past Brice Samba after just eight minutes but the Reds were level on twenty when Sammy Ameobi curled home spectacularly from long range.

As the two teams looked to be going in at the break level a foul by Ryan Yates on Andre Ayew was adjudged to have been made inside the box by the Referee Oliver Langford who signalled to the penalty spot but on closer viewing it appeared to have been outside to the Forest players helpless frustration.

Ayew himself stepped up and stuttered before sending Samba the wrong way and the home side felt unjustified advantage was not with them as the Welshmen went in at half time 2-1 up.

Had the eighth placed Swans won the game they would have reduced the gap on Forest to three points with two games remaining but when Sammy Ameobi hit another long range effort home on 55 minutes, this time a low shot to goalkeeper Mulder’s left after cutting in off the wing, that left things all square and the mathematical gap to a near unassailable six points taking Forest’s considerably better goal difference into account.

A point taking Forest to the total of 70 for the season in the Championship with 7^th placed Millwall (on 65) still able to catch them it seems another point will do in their remaining two games as long as the Reds don’t suffer any form of Hull City syndrome.

In a game which Swansea were perhaps marginally the better side there was still late drama at the City Ground when Naughton saw red for chopping down Mighten in front of the dugouts and due to the controversial nature of the Swans second goal perhaps honours even was in the end a fair reflection.

Not completely the result Forest wanted but certainly not a bad point. With now Barnsley and Stoke to play it seems like something from one of the last two games should be enough to ensure the Reds do make the final cut.

On reflection of the ninety minutes, Reds Manager Sabri Lamouchi suggested Forest finished better than they started, saying “It was difficult for the players physically tonight and they used a lot of energy, we need to think about that but what can we do, they tried. There were some mistakes, of course, and they were tired, of course. Some goals we could avoid but the reaction was there.”

“We were better in the second half, we kept a direct opponent away from us and we have two games to go.”

Concentration now draws to Oakwell on Sunday and making sure that Forest complete the job in securing their playoff spot. Should Millwall and Swansea fail to win on Saturday the match against Barnsley could even turn into a procession.

Nottingham Forest: Samba, Jenkinson, Worrall, Figueiredo (Dawson 76), Ribeiro, Watson, Yates (Diakhaby 89), Sow (Silva 56), da Costa (Lolley 76), Ameobi (Mighten 77), Grabban.

Swansea City: Mulder, Naughton, Van der Hoorn (Cabango 63), Guehi, Roberts, Fulton (Celina 70), Grimes, Bidwell, Gallagher (Byers 86), Ayew, Brewster (Garrick 86).

Venue: City Ground

*Main image @NFFC Forest happy to get a point after coming from behind.