Nottingham Forest 1-2 Middlesbrough (EFL Championship) 20.01.21

Nottingham Forest lost for the first time in eight matches as Britt Assombalonga scored against his old club for Neil Warnock’s men during a 2-1 victory for playoff chasing Boro.

The early strike for the away team was improved upon five minutes after half time when George Saville doubled Middlesbrough’s advantage and despite a late goal for Loic Mbe Soh, the visitors clung on to a deserved win with a stoppage time sending off for Forest’s Bruno Ribeiro, capping a disappointing night for Chris Hughton’s men.

As Storm Christoph approached, the grounds staff did fabulous work just to get the game on alongside the rising waters of the Trent as wind and rain filled the dark and gloomy Nottingham skies prior to kick off.

Neil Warnock, familiar to the city from many years ago doing his business across the Trent, no stranger to the opposition dug out at the City Ground either, heard relentlessly in an empty stadium effing and jeffing at every decision against him before he got one of his own on fourteen minutes as Johnny Howson crossed low from the right to Assombalonga who slotted home.

The former Forest striker unmarked as Joe Worrall stopped, arm aloft, waiting in vain for the linesman’s flag to go up for offside.

Assombalonga might have made it two but for heading a curled in free kick on to the post which then bounced off Samba in goal who saw the ball ricochet away for a corner.

Forest’s best chance of a dire first half as Ribeiro raced down the left flank to cross towards the back post where Ameobi under pressure couldn’t get his leg to connect with the ball.

The second half wasn’t much better for Forest and within five minutes Boro were two-up as George Saville was slipped through to race clear with yet again the Forest defenders absent. A bad night for Joe Worrall as his desperate lunge made Saville’s route to goal much easier before slotting home past Samba to put the game all but to bed.

It could have got worse too, young left back Marc Bola smashing the cross bar from twenty yards as Samba stood and watched the ball bounce thankfully to safety.

Forest however improved late-on and kept going until the 90 before getting back a goal, by which time they had left it much too late as substitute Loic Mbe Soh headed home his first in red, from a left wing cross by Lolley for what was nothing more than a stoppage time consolation before Yuri Ribeiro was sent off for an altercation in the corner flag.

Not a great night for Forest and Chris Hughton who were full of praise for their staff ensuring their pitch was playable to get the game to go ahead, perhaps they should have left the covers off? The defeat sees the side drop back down to 20th in the division just five points above the relegation zone.

Nottingham Forest: Samba, Christie, Worrall, McKenna, Ribeiro, Yates, Sow (Taylor 46), Ameobi (Lolley 78), Cafu, Mighten (Knockaert 56), Grabban.

Middlesbrough: Bettinelli, Dijksteel, Fry, McNair, Bola, Morsy, Howson, Saville, Tavernier (Spence 90), Assombalonga, Watmore (Johnson 65).

Venue: City Ground

*Main image @NFFC Britt Assombalonga scores against his old club.