Nuno Espirito Santo hailed the importance of Morgan Gibbs-White after he inspired Nottingham Forest to a vital 3-1 win over Fulham.
Gibbs-White put in a virtuoso display in a golden first half which saw Forest cruise into a 3-0 lead.
After setting up Callum Hudson-Odoi’s opener, he watched as Chris Wood made it 2-0 before completing the scoring with a fine finish on the stroke of half-time.
“Morgan is a very special player for us,” the Portuguese said.
“Very important, talented, the work rate on the pitch, but to allow Morgan to have these moments a lot of things happen behind, hard work by the boys and this is very important.”
That sublime opening 45 minutes laid the foundations for just a second league win of 2024 for Forest and the first since they were deducted four points for breaking the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules last month.
That opened up a three-point gap over Luton, who occupy 18th position and visit title-chasing Arsenal on Wednesday night, but Nuno is not getting carried away.
“Of course I am pleased, I am pleased with the performance, it was a good one, much improvement from previous games,” he said.
“After the points deduction it was very important we had some urgency of getting some good results. It’s what we fight for, it’s about points and we need them desperately.
“With all the noise that’s going on around us, it’s very hard to keep that togetherness. But the credit goes to the players because they are sticking with their tasks.
“We know it was important for us today, but let’s not get over the moon. There is still a long way to go.”
Forest had to endure a nervy time as Tosin Adarabioyo’s header gave Fulham a lifeline and the visitors spent most of the second half knocking on the door.
The Cottagers needed a late comeback to earn a point at bottom-placed Sheffield United on Saturday but they could not repeat the feat here as they paid the price for a shambolic opening half-hour.
Fulham boss Marco Silva, who made a triple substitution after 33 minutes, said: “Bad performance, disappointing evening for us, really disappointing result. When you don’t start the game the way you should of course you are going to get punished.
“In the first half we didn’t play, we were there but we didn’t play. We weren’t there, we didn’t do what we planned, we were so, so slow.
“We were not aggressive, the will was not there and this is the first time since this long journey started in 2021 that this has happened.
“Football is to play from the first minute not just the second half. When I made the triple change, at that moment the team needed much more changes than three.
“Overall we were not playing, as a collective we were not there. It is important to say it wasn’t the fault of the three at all. It was a tactical change.”
Liverpool 4-2 Tottenham: Salah shines as Reds swat aside Spurs
Liverpool got back to winning ways with a 4-2 win over Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday, though they had to survive a late Spurs push.
Mohamed Salah and Harvey Elliott were the stars, getting a goal and an assist each to help the Reds avoid a third straight home defeat in all competitions.
Andrew Robertson and Cody Gakpo got in on the act as Liverpool cruised into a 4-0 lead, though Richarlison and Son Heung-min scored to make matters interesting, ensuring this fixture became the highest-scoring in Premier League history in the process.
Spurs remain in fifth, seven points below Aston Villa in fourth, while Liverpool are third, five points off leaders Arsenal, though they would need an almighty slip-up from either of the top two to stand a chance of winning the title.
The warning signs were there early from Liverpool, with Guglielmo Vicario smothering Salah’s shot on the line before Cristian Romero cleared Elliott’s follow-up.
Salah grabbed the opener 16 minutes in, latching onto Gakpo’s cross to cushion his 18th goal of the season past Vicario, who got a hand to it.
The Reds’ dominance continued – Luis Diaz tried an acrobatic attempt and Elliott saw a curler saved by Vicario, but Liverpool’s pressure told again before the break.
Vicario got down to Salah’s crisp effort but could only parry it into the path of Robertson, who tucked into an open net on the rebound.
Spurs’ display did not improve after the break, and Gakpo thumped in Elliott’s cross after Emerson Royal was dispossessed.
Elliott capped a fine individual display in the 59th minute, curling a sumptuous shot into the top-left corner, giving Vicario no chance.
Richarlison’s introduction from the bench sparked Spurs into life, as he slotted in his 11th goal of the campaign with 18 minutes remaining.
The Brazil international turned from scorer to provider five minutes later, laying it off for Son to finish.
Salah squandered a great chance to put the contest to bed at the other end, but Alisson denied Richarlison a second – with Joe Gomez preventing Brennan Johnson nodding in the rebound – as Liverpool saw out a morale-boosting win in Jurgen Klopp’s penultimate home game.
Salah back on song
Salah grabbed the headlines last week after a spat with Klopp on the touchline during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at West Ham.
But, restored to the starting XI, Salah was back on form on Sunday. He hit the crossbar before he opened the scoring, and then got an assist when he teed up Elliott – that makes him the first player in Premier League history to score 10+ goals and provide 10+ assists in three consecutive seasons. He is also only the second player to tally 10+ in both in five separate seasons in the competition overall, after Wayne Rooney.
Salah, who had a goal ruled out for offside late on, has now netted 12 goals against Spurs, only scoring more against Manchester United (14) in all competitions, while he is also the joint-top scorer in Liverpool v Tottenham matches in the Premier League, scoring nine, level with Harry Kane.
Super-sub Richarlison
Spurs, who have lost four league games in a row for the first time since November 2004, were left to rue a dismal showing for the first hour, but would things have been different had Ange Postecoglou used Richarlison from the start?
The former Everton man has been linked with a move away from Spurs this week, but he turned the tide at Anfield, where he has scored three times in the Premier League.
Richarlison’s hold-up play and pass into Son for Spurs’ second was also excellent. That goal from the South Korean was the 191st scored in this fixture in the Premier League, meaning it overtook Arsenal v Liverpool as the fixture with the most goals in the competition’s history.
Maguire's league season over as Man Utd confirm muscle injury
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has suffered a muscle injury that will see him miss the final games of the Premier League season.
United face Crystal Palace on Monday, before rounding off their Premier League campaign with some tough fixtures against title-chasing Arsenal, fellow European hopefuls Newcastle United and then Brighton.
However, Erik ten Hag will have to do without centre-back Maguire, with the England international set to miss around three weeks with a muscular problem, further compounding United's injury issues in defence.
That time frame also casts Maguire's participation in the FA Cup final, which takes place on May 25, into doubt.
United will take on holders and rivals Manchester City in the Wembley showpiece, which is a repeat of last season's final.
England manager Gareth Southgate will be hoping the defender recovers fully in time for Euro 2024.
Pochettino hails Chelsea's growth after thumping West Ham
Mauricio Pochettino is delighted by Chelsea's progress in recent weeks following their dominant 5-0 victory over West Ham at Stamford Bridge.
Nicolas Jackson scored twice, while Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher and Noni Madueke were also on target as the Blues leapfrogged Manchester United into seventh place with three games remaining.
Pochettino's side, who made it back-to-back wins in the space of three days following their 2-0 success over Tottenham on Thursday, are finishing the season strongly, having now lost just one of their last 12 matches.
The Blues came under scrutiny during their 6-0 rout of Everton last month, when Jackson and Madueke were involved in an altercation following a disagreement over who should take a penalty, with the responsibility eventually going to regular taker Palmer.
However, three weeks on, the pair combined to positive effect with Madueke unselfishly squaring the ball for Jackson to tap in the first of his two goals, despite being one-on-one with West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola.
And Pochettino believes that action epitomises the growth his side are demonstrating as the season draws towards a conclusion.
"[We are] so pleased, so happy. The players deserve big credit, to play again after a few days and to play again at this level," he said, as reported by Football London.
"We received criticism for the situation with the penalty against Everton, but a young team needs to make mistakes to improve.
"It was a great action from Noni [squaring the ball for Jackson's first goal] to see how the group is starting to believe. It is always a process that takes time. It can take one month, six months or one year.
"People who know about football know the process of building a team is the most difficult thing. You need to have the capacity to emphasise with every single player.
"They need to trust in us, in the coaching staff. That is the most important thing, and then you need to start to identify what the players need. This process always takes time."
Discussing Chelsea's hopes of qualifying for Europe, Pochettino said: "From the beginning of the season, I said we should win because we are Chelsea.
"We need to be mature, keep the momentum and look to improve every single game. We are trying to be in Europe; it will be good for the team and the players to be in Europe this season."
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