Nottingham Forest’s Champions League hopes hit by late Leicester leveller

If you had told Nottingham Forest fans successful August that a constituent successful their penultimate location crippled of the play would warrant them European qualification, astir would person bitten your manus off. Now, however, aft it looked arsenic if Chris Wood’s diving header had lifted them into 5th place, Facundo Buonanotte’s precocious equaliser means that Champions League qualification is retired of their hands.

Qualifying for the Europa League (or Conference League) is nary mean feat for Nuno Espírito Santo’s squad but, having been sitting beauteous successful 3rd spot for the mediate portion of the season, it seems similar a comedown now. Certainly that seemed to beryllium Evangelos Marinakis’s absorption arsenic the Forest proprietor strode connected to the transportation astatine afloat clip to person a fewer prime words with his manager.

With lone 1 triumph successful their past 7 games, Forest’s play is successful information of subsiding. And it astir finished adjacent worse for them against their already-relegated East Midlands rivals. On a Vardy-inspired breakaway, Jeremy Monga, the 15-year-old substitute, saw his 20-yard changeable tipped speech by Matz Sels.

The terrace banter had been bully successful the aboriginal stages. Chants of “Stevie Cooper” rang astir three-quarters of the crushed arsenic the Forest fans celebrated the erstwhile manager who brought them up from the Championship earlier playing a portion successful helping instrumentality Leicester backmost there.

If culpability lies with the manager, however, Ruud van Nistelrooy has played a bigger role. At slightest Leicester were supra the relegation portion erstwhile Cooper, with 10 points from 12 games, was dismissed successful November; the existent manager gained 11 points from his 22 matches successful complaint earlier this game.

The City Ground was awash with sunshine and optimism astatine kick-off. Chelsea’s decision astatine Newcastle United had passed the accidental to assertion 5th spot backmost to Forest, not slightest arsenic Enzo Maresca’s squad sojourn present successful a fortnight, minus the suspended Nicolas Jackson.

Nottingham Forest co-owner Evangelos Marinakis (left) remonstrates with Nuno Espírito Santo aft the 2-2 location gully with Leicester. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

So it was thing of a astonishment erstwhile Leicester took the lead. When a agelong propulsion was lone partially cleared by Neco Williams to the punishment country D, Bilal El Khannouss near alert with a tricky changeable that became trickier with a deflection disconnected Chris Wood. Matz Sels did good to parry the shot retired but determination was Conor Coady to caput location the rebound for his archetypal league extremity for Leicester.

Forest, for whom Wood changeable oregon headed conscionable implicit oregon wide 3 times successful the archetypal period, were soon level however. When Luke Thomas fouled Antony Elanga, the winger floated successful the free-kick from which Morgan Gibbs-White headed down and successful for his sixth extremity of the season. That should adhd a fewer 100 1000 to his asking terms arsenic and erstwhile Manchester City travel backmost knocking.

The Leicester fans responded by unleashing retired 1 of their favourites. “Champions of England, you’ll ne'er sing that,” they chanted. Football fans are getting young these days. Were nary of them calved earlier the Premier League started? Anyway, Forest fans came backmost with: “Champions of Europe … you’ll ne'er sing that.”

Forest accrued their strength aft the interval. Nicolas Dominguez doubly went close, narrowly missing Ibrahim Elanga’s transverse earlier diving successful to caput different accidental consecutive astatine Jakub Stolarczyk, arsenic Leicester became stretched.

Forest had been reasonably successful the archetypal half, playing amended than they did against Manchester City successful the FA Cup semi-final astatine Wembley oregon the 1-1 gully astatine Crystal Palace, but the lack of Callum Hudson-Odoi to supply gait connected some wings did hint astatine an over-reliance connected Elanga to unfastened things up.

Facundo Buonanotte scores a good equalising extremity for Leicester. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

So erstwhile Morgan Gibbs-White recovered abstraction successful the inside-right channel, Wood’s eyes lit up. The captain’s transportation was sumptuous: swerving, with the close pace, astatine the close tallness for Forest’s apical scorer to hold his infinitesimal arsenic helium ran successful towards the acold post, support his eyes connected the shot earlier diving successful to caput into the adjacent country for his 20^th extremity of the season.

Everyone knew Vardy needed 1 much extremity for his 200^th for Leicester but erstwhile helium received an angled walk and fractional a show of extremity connected the borderline of the punishment country 19 minutes from time, helium chopped wrong arsenic helium seldom would person done astatine his highest and the accidental fizzled out.

However, Leicester were not done. Vardy, backmost to goal, receiving to feet, flicked a walk connected for Facundo Buonanotte, who weaved into the Forest area, beating 2 defenders, earlier shooting past Selz for his sixth extremity of the season. For Forest’s Champions League, that could beryllium convey you and bully night.