Joe Lolley’s eighth goal of the season clinched a huge victory for Nottingham Forest as they beat promotion rivals Brentford 1-0.
Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at Griffin Park.
Brice Samba: Had to put up with a heck of a lot of stick from the home crowd, who helped sway the referee towards a soft early booking for timewasting. Didn’t have too much to do, but made some smart saves when needed. Rating: 7/10
Matty Cash: Forest will be hoping there were no scouts in attendance as the right-back put in another one of those top drawer performances. Transfer window can’t close soon enough. Rating: 8/10
Tobias Figueiredo: Back in the side and quickly reestablished a solid partnership alongside Worrall. Had his work cut out at times, but stood his ground throughout. Rating: 8/10
Joe Worrall: Seems to relish these backs-to-the-wall affairs. Showed bags of heart, spirit and maintained his concentration. Big contribution to an important clean-sheet. A rock at the back. Rating: 8/10
Yuri Ribeiro: Made some promising runs and generally used the ball well. Didn’t do too much wrong defensively, either. Played his part in a crucial victory. Rating: 7/10
Ben Watson: Absolutely immense in the middle of the park. Lost track of the number of blocks, tackles and interceptions the skipper made. Rating: 9/10
Samba Sow: Increasingly becoming such a vital player for the Reds. Influence grows with every game, and he was a machine once again. Rating: 9/10
Joe Lolley: Four goals in five games now - he’s hitting top gear at just the right time. No questions about his form now; did well in a more central attacking role. Rating: 8/10
Tiago Silva: A really good performance from the midfielder. Covered plenty of ground, chipped in defensively and caused problems going forward, too. Rating: 8/10
Sammy Ameobi: Got better as the match went on and began to have more of an impact. Frustrating at times, but also some positive moments. Rating: 7/10
Lewis Grabban: Looked to have a strong case for a penalty when he was bundled over in the second half. Worked his socks off and showed some nice touches, even if he didn’t have too many clearcut chances. Rating: 7/10
Subs
Adama Diakhaby (for Lolley, 76): A difficult game to show what he can do. Didn’t have too many touches of the ball. Rating: 6/10
Ryan Yates (for Grabban, 90+1): Didn’t really have long enough to get into the game. But helped see out the final minutes. Rating: 6/10
Albert Adomah (for Ameobi, 90+4): Barely got on the pitch before the whistle blew. Rating: 6/10
Subs not used: Smith, Jenkinson, Semedo, Dawson.
