Nottingham Forest defeated Aston Villa on Saturday to climb up to fourth place in the Premier League table and show their opponents a clean set of heels.
The Reds have won three of the last four games in the top-flight and the chances of another season fighting relegation have been dismissed already.
Forest won on Saturday courtesy of a goal in the 86th minute by Nikola Milenkovic and a first goal since February for Anthony Elanga.
After the game, Elanga was praised by Theo Walcott and a welcome return to form for him could see his confidence return for a busy Christmas period.
Nuno Espirito Santo was praised for his masterclass after the game with Villa at the City Ground and Forest will now travel to play Brentford in confident spirits.
Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson breaks during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and Aston Villa FC at City Ground on Decemb...
Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images
Elliot Anderson stars as Forest defeat Aston Villa
Jamie Redknapp hailed Anderson after his performance for the Reds at the weekend and he looks like a brilliant addition to the ranks.
Anderson teed up Elanga to score the winning goal, robbing former Forest star Matty Cash of possession and caressing a sweet pass to Elanga to sweep into the net.
After helping Forest claim a memorable win under the City Ground lights, Anderson took to Instagram to speak of his delight.
MORE FOREST STORIES
He mentioned being proud to claim an assist and offered a reminder to the fans that the team will keep going in search of more Premier League points.
Neco Williams and Anthony Elanga react to Anderson performance
Gary Neville thinks Anderson is quality and it does look like Forest have hit the jackpot by parting with £35 million to sign him.
That valuation is flawed as Newcastle parted with £20 million to sign Odysseas Vlachodimos in lieu of the Anderson deal and the Reds have had the final laugh.
After his post, Williams amusingly posted: “Like a whippet out there lad.”
Elanga was also extremely thankful to Anderson for his moment of magic that saw him use his quick feet again, posting: “Thanks for the assist brother.”
Other Forest players posted too, with Jota Silva and Ola Aina posting wordless reactions to their in-form teammate.
The challenge for Espirito Santo is to ensure that Anderson remains fit and crucially that he can keep squeezing him into the team.
Anderson looks like a future star and it’s quite remarkable how good he’s been despite the fact he’d played little senior football before arriving.
The youngster is another nod towards the club’s improved recruitment and long may signings like Anderson continue arriving on Trentside.
Related Posts