Leicester vs Nottingham Forest: Player ratings, analysis and reaction as James Maddison earns Foxes victory

Leicester 4-0 Nottingham Forest (Maddison 25′, 35′, Barnes 27, Daka 73′)

James Maddison put his continued absence from the England squad behind him with two goals and an assist as Leicester City moved off the bottom of the Premier League table by beating local rivals Nottingham Forest 4-0.

The result also eased the pressure on manager Brendan Rodgers, who had been among the favourites to be the next Premier League manager to lose their job, a title now surely held by opposite number Steve Cooper.

There is just goal difference between these two struggling teams but the gulf looked far bigger.

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Leicester turned in the sort of performance that has carried them to the FA Cup and Europa Conference League semi-final in the last two years.

Nottingham Forest looked like what they are – a new team that has just come out of the Championship – and on this showing, Leicester looked far well placed to escape the bottom three than Forest.

Two goals in three minutes put Leicester firmly in the driving seat after a lively start amid a cracking atmosphere before Maddison added a third before half-time.

A flurry of Forest corners threatened to expose Leicester’s well-known set-piece frailties, but having survived that, the Foxes went on to control the rest of the game.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher on Brendan Rodgers: “I think if they had lost tonight, it would have been a lot to come back from. The win feels big for him in terms of his management position.”

For the home fans, it was a question of gaining revenge over local rivals Forest after a painful FA Cup defeat at their hands just eight months ago.

Leicester manager Rodgers said he showed videos of that game to the players ahead of this encounter.

“I thought we were excellent tonight, the intensity in the game, the pressure in the game and there was obviously pressure on us, especially after the last time we played Forest,” Rodgers said.

“It was a great night for the players, brilliant for the supporters and I said beforehand it was a season-changing game, that if we get a good result and performance then we can push on.”

Leicester player ratings

• Danny Ward – 5: Flapped at first corner of the night and got lucky when he palmed down a free-kick that he came a long way to half-claim. At last a Premier League clean sheet but still an unconvincing presence, barring a late save from Johnson.
• Timothy Castagne – 7: Did not always find a man but offered a decent attacking threat from full-back.
• Wout Faes – 7: Got his head in the way a lot, adding welcome physicality to Leicester’s defensive line and a much-needed solid corner-stopper at the near post.
• Jonny Evans – 6: Largely untroubled but if Awoniyi had been a better finisher, he might have found himself under the microscope.
• James Justin – 7: Will have many tougher days at the office against more spritely opposing players than Jesse Lingard.
• Wilfred Ndidi – 7: Did his usual quiet work in midfield snuffing out trouble but was spared risking his fitness any further by having to do another 45 minutes in a game that was well won in the first half.
• Harvey Barnes – 8: Afforded too much space by the defence in the 27th minute but still had lots to do and produced a perfect strike, bent into the far corner, to score his second of the season.
• Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 8: Probably should have scored a five-yard header that would have given the Foxes a perfect start, but was more energetic than any of the Forest midfield. Pressed at every opportunity and burst into the box time and again.
• Youri Tielemans – 7: Neat and tidy, didn’t do an awful lot wrong. Didn’t actually do much at all, but in fairness, didn’t have to as Dewsbury-Hall and Maddison ran forward freely.
• James Maddison – 9: Lovely feet to create early chance for Dewsbury-Hall and hardly surprising that he scored Leicester’s first goal as their only real in-form player, albeit via a deflection. No luck about the second though, a free-kick clipping the inside of the post on the way in to bring up 50 goals for the Foxes. A danger almost every time he got the ball, a driven pass into Daka added an assist to his
• Jamie Vardy – 6: Could have had three inside 15 minutes. Snatched at an early half-chance when Forest failed to clear, will feel he should have done better after he sprung the offside trap but his header was wide and then could only scuff a shot straight at the keeper when one-on-one.

Substitutes

• Boubakary Soumare – 6
• Patson Daka – 7
• Dennis Praet – 6
• Mark Albrighton – n/a

Maddison on England snub

“It’s obviously been a bit of a weird position because we’ve been bottom of the league and things not going our way, but I have almost been as confident as I’ve ever been in my career. I don’t remember over the last 12 months playing better than I have and feeling as well as I have.

“It’s obviously hard to answer this question. You want to say the right thing, you don’t say the wrong thing.

“That [the World Cup] is an ambition of mine, a goal of mine. I’m a football man. I watch all the games, I watch international football and an opportunity at that level will be something that I desire. I know that I’d have an impact and one that I hope will come my way at some point.”

Forest player ratings

• Dean Henderson – 6: Stepped the wrong way as Maddison hit his free-kick but truthfully many better goalkeepers would have been beaten by it. Could do little about the other three.
• Neco Williams – 4: Booked for a lunge in an innocuous area early on, and then wasn’t close enough to Barnes when it mattered, allowing him to space to pick his spot and score.
• Steve Cook – 5: Never looked at home with Vardy’s pace but lucky not to be punished in opening exchanges. Booked for an agricultural late tackle that stank of pure frustration.
• Scott McKenna – 5: Collectively guilty of backing off so deep that Leicester were afforded ample room to pick his defence apart.
• Renan Lodi – 3: Tormented by Maddison whenever the Englishman got the ball in the right channel. Too quick to go to ground.
• Morgan Gibbs-White – 6: Beautifully weighted through-ball for Awoniyi deserved an assist. Did not give the ball away at any point.
• Cheikhou Kouyate – 3: Tripped Dewsbury-Hall to give away the free-kick that Maddison scored, frankly the biggest impact he had on the game. Replaced at half-time.
• Lewis O’Brien – 4: Like Kouyate, hooked at the break as Steve Cooper desperately tried to stop the flow of possession through the middle of the pitch.
• Jesse Lingard – 4: Awful attempted clearance fell straight to Maddison to score the opener and then had so much time to redeem himself seven minutes before the break but took three touches when one, a shot on goal, would have been enough.
• Brennan Johnson – 5: Looked devoid of confidence when Ward’s parry fell to him on the edge of the box with the goal unguarded. Tracked back bravely and to his credit he ran to the end, including one fine mazy dribble from his own half that won Forest just a corner, but had little help.
• Taiwo Awoniyi – 4: Failed to open scoring when through on goal early on which, given what followed, might not have made much difference but nevertheless goals are his currency.

Substitutes

• Serge Aurier – 7
• Remo Freuler – 6
• Ryan Yates – 5
• Emmanuel Dennis – 5

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