Nottingham Forest player ratings vs Newcastle: Matz Sels shines as attacking stars flop

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(Credit: Imago) Sun 10 May 2026 19:56, UK Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson rescued a point against Newcastle in a 1-1 draw at the City Ground.It was a quiet first half at the City Ground, with the best chance falling to Newcastle striker Will Osula, who was denied by Matz Sels.Nick Pope had to deny Taiwo Awoniyi with an outstretched leg in the second half, but Newcastle then took charge of proceedings.Sels made a smart stop to keep out Bruno Guimaraes’ strike, and Osula’s free-kick rattled the crossbar, before Barnes ran through on goal and kept his composure to give the visitors the lead.It looked like Barnes’ goal would be enough for the visitors, but Anderson found a way through the Newcastle defence and fired past Pope with just two minutes remaining.Nottingham Forest have secured their Premier League survival, as they hold a seven-point gap over 18th-placed West Ham with two games to go. MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES ⚽ Nottingham Forest Matchday ⚽ Team news, line-ups, expert previews and tactical analysis for every Nottingham Forest fixture.

VISIT THE FOREST MATCH HUB Nottingham Forest miss Morgan Gibbs-WhiteMorgan Gibbs-White has been a pivotal player for Nottingham Forest this season, and his omission from the matchday squad due to a head injury, was a major blow to Vitor Pereira.Gibbs-White has been in fine form with five goals and two assists in his last five games, and in his absence meant the Tricky Trees lacked much threat going forward.Expected Goals1.18Shots17Shots on Target6Big Chances2Nottingham Forest’s attacking stats against Newcastle across the 90 minutes.Dilane Bakwa looked bright at times down the left flank, and had a curling effort deflected wide in the first half, but the hosts did not do enough to test Pope in goal.As sources have told Football Insider, Gibbs-White is set to attract interest this summer, so a creative midfielder could be on Pereira’s list of transfer targets this summer.Two stars standout in abject Nottingham Forest showingComing into the match off the back of a 4-0 defeat at Aston Villa, which knocked Nottingham Forest out of the Europa League, Pereira’s side put in a laboured display for the most part here.One positive was Luca Netz who once again impressed at full-back, in what was his first home start for the club since joining from Borussia Monchengladbach in January.The 22-year-old looks to be a smart addition to the side, and the German completed all of his passes and won six of his nine duels.It was goalkeeper Sels though who ensured that Newcastle didn’t get more than their solitary goal, which proved important as Anderson went on to net an equaliser.Nottingham Forest player ratings vs NewcastleMatz Sels – 8Neco Williams – 6Nikola Milenkovic – 6Cunha – 5Morato – 6Luca Netz – 7Nicolas Dominguez – 4Elliot Anderson – 7Dilane Bakwa – 5Igor Jesus – 4Taiwo Awoniyi – 4Substitutes Ryan Yates (On for Dominguez 46′) – 5Omari Hutchinson (On for Bakwa 64′) – 4Chris Wood (On for Awoniyi 74′) – 5Luca (On for Netz 84′) – 4 James McAtee (On for Jesus 84′) – 5 Don’t Miss a Beat: Your Nottingham Forest Insider Access Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of the City Ground.