Nottingham Forest 1 Middlesbrough 2
Mills 7 Nugent 3 Ayala 32
Middlesbrough hadn’t won at the City Ground since 1999 when
current Nottingham Forest boss Dougie Freedman was a player for the side he has
gone on to manage. Back then Freeman, a striker in his time, got on the score
sheet for Forest before they were beaten 2-1 by Bryan Robson’s Boro side and it
was a similar story when the two sides met this weekend.
Boro’s odds of winning the division had been drastically
shorten with many bookmakers following a mid-week victory over Brentford, a
result which also marked their third victory in a row. Against Forest they
notched their winning tally up to four in succession after an action packed
Championship fixture.
After just three minutes David Nugent netted his second goal
for his new club since his arrival in the summer, however three minutes later
the hosts were level courtesy of a lethal finish from centre back Matt Mills.
Daniel Ayala’s header before the break restored the visitor’s lead, but the
drama didn’t stop there. With twelve minutes to go Ben Gibson handled the ball
in the penalty area, providing Henri Lansbury the chance to equalise from the
spot. However it was Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopulos who emerged as the hero as
he saved the ball with his legs to keep the score at 2-1.
1.
Dimi Can
Put His Troubles Behind Him
 |
| Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopulos saving a late penalty |
Against
Brentford in mid-week Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopulos made a costly error which
led to an opposition equaliser before Boro went on to win the game. But this weekend
the Greek goalkeeper quickly put his troubles behind him to produce a man of
the match performance which won Boro the game. With his side leading 2-1
Konstantopulos made a series of impressive saves and denied Henri Lansbury from
the penalty spot as Boro hung on to record their fourth win in a row.
2.
Nugent Could
Be The Missing Piece In The Jigsaw?
Ever
since their relegation from the Premier League Boro have craved for an
effective centre forward who can make an impact and score goals. The likes of
Lukas Jutekiewitz, Ishmael Miller and Danny Graham have all played as a lone striker
and have all come and gone with limited success. But at last Boro may have
found the answer. Nugent scored his second goal of the season on Saturday and
looks like he may be the man to replace the goals scored by Patrick Bamford
last season. Nugent, who scored 20 goals for Leicester in the Championship two
years ago, hassled and harried the Forest defence all afternoon and played a
big part in the victory.
3.
Boro
Are A Force Away From Home
Last
season Boro lost just three games at home, but it was their away form which let
them down and ultimately cost them promotion. This campaign they have already
won on the road at Forest and at Sheffield Wednesday where they were beaten
last season. Similar results away from the Riverside will help sustain a strong
promotion challenge.
4.
Corner
Troubles
Boro
conceded the least amount of goals in the league last season, however on
Saturday their often stern defence appeared a little more vulnerable than usual,
especially from corners. No one picked up Matt Mills when he scored Forest’s equaliser
and there were other occasions when opposition players were left unmarked. It’s
something manager Aitor Karanka will have to address.
5.
Favourites
Rise To Occasion
The
cameras were on Boro in Sky
Sports’ lunch time kick-off in a week were they were made clear favourites
with the bookmakers to win the league. However Karanka’s side were unfazed and recorded
their fourth victory in a row, beating a Forest side who were also in good form
after winning their last two games.
Thorn In The Side
Chris O'Grady
 |
| Forest's Chris O'Grady and Boro's Daniel Ayala |
The
Forest striker, on loan from Brighton, was a constant threat to Boro’s backline
using his strength and good hold up play to win free kicks in dangerous positions.
He also pressurised Ben Gibson into handling the ball which resulted in a penalty.
Boro’s Best
Dimi Konstantopulos (Man Of The Match)
 |
| Boro's Dimi Konstantopulos |
The
Boro keeper made a series of top saves in the second half to keep his side in
front. He became the match winner with twelve minutes to go by saving Henri
Lansbury’s penalty which would have swung the momentum.
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