Nottingham Forest nears Premier League security with gritty stalemate against Newcastle

Following a heavy 4-0 defeat in the UEFA Europa League that knocked them out against Aston Villa during the week, Forest turned their focus back to staying in the Premier League. Facing them was a Newcastle team that had just broken a run of four losses but were sitting 18 points behind their position from the same point last year.

Still, the visitors began energetically, keeping Forest on the defensive and pushing forward often on the right side, though they failed to create any real openings.

Not happy with the first 15 minutes, Vitor Pereira switched tactics, going back to the 4-4-2 setup that had worked well lately.

This change gave the home team the upper hand, as Dilane Bakwa troubled the Newcastle defence a few times, especially with a delivery that led to an error by Nick Pope, nearly allowing Jair Cunha to poke in the loose ball.

Yet, the clearest chance before half time came for the away side, with Nick Woltemade setting up William Osula, whose firm shot was blocked by Matz Sels just in time.

In the second half, a hopeful free kick from Bruno Guimaraes floated just past the post as Newcastle tried to boost their poor record of only four goals scored away from home after the break this season.

On his third Premier League start of the campaign, Taiwo Awoniyi used his power to shrug off Sven Botman and draw a save from Pope, soon after the keeper had to make back to back stops to thwart Guimaraes.

As Newcastle gained control again, Osula hit the bar with a free kick, moments before replacement Harvey Barnes collected a clever pass from Jacob Ramsey and slotted it past Sels with precision.

Forest pushed back for an equaliser, and in the 88th minute, a swift combination between James McAtee and Elliot Anderson ended with the latter blasting the ball into the net from a narrow position against his former team to tie things up.

Nothing significant happened after that, meaning Forest have just one victory in 16 Premier League clashes (D4, L11), but the fans at home wont mind, content with the draw and aware they might confirm safety this weekend if West Ham United fall to table toppers Arsenal.

For Eddie Howes team, aiming for a mid table spot seems their highest achievable goal now, as this outcome has ended any slim chance of dropping down.