Nottingham Forest endured a cagey encounter against Manchester City on Saturday, with the clean sheet largely down to the remarkable defensive shape Nuno Espirito Santo lined up with.
Pep Guardiola hailed Forest’s defensive work in the buildup to the game, and, unfortunately for the City boss, he was absolutely right as Espirito Santo’s side limited the Premier League champions to very little going forward.
The game was always going to be cagey with the European football implications, but Forest must’ve taken some confidence from Guardiola being unsure about City’s Champions League chances.
Espirito Santo didn’t change his style to adapt to the occasion in any way, setting up his Forest squad to be patient and rely on their ever-excellent defence to keep out the likes of Erling Haaland at the other end.
One of those defenders was Murillo, who put in another imperious display that Premier League legend Rio Ferdinand was in awe of.
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Rio Ferdinand in awe of ‘brilliant’ Murillo performance against Manchester City
In the week building up to the City clash, Murillo hailed Espirito Santo’s impact at Forest as a key factor in the Reds’ Champions League push, but on Saturday, it was his individual performance that stood above anything his manager could’ve told him.
One pundit who was particularly impressed with the Brazilian was fellow centre-back Ferdinand, who spoke on TNT Sports’ live commentary of the game about how excellent the 22-year-old was.
Ferdinand said: “He’s been brilliant today, Murillo, he’s been brilliant. Every decision he’s made today with his feet has been spot on.”
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The Brazilian is renowned for his ability with the ball at his feet, and that was always going to be crucial against a City side who attempt to penetrate through the centre of teams.
Praise from the ex-Manchester United defender will certainly resonate with Murillo, but his stats from the match highlight that his on track to be mentioned in the same breath as Ferdinand one day.
Murillo’s stats against Manchester City show he’s becoming one of the Premier League’s best
Forest’s win over Liverpool convinced Murillo to stay and Reds fans will be absolutely delighted he did, given the impact he had on another famous victory.
Statistic Murillo vs Manchester City
Aerial clearances 3
Interceptions 1
Recoveries 3
Duels won (%) 2 (100%)
Passes into final third 8
Murillo’s stats vs Manchester City
The Brazilian didn’t put a foot wrong against the world-class talents in the City front line, all of his duels as well as an interception to his name.
Murillo is only six foot, so he could’ve had a height disadvantage against Haaland, but his three aerial clearances showed that he was more than a match for the Norweigan, with three recoveries highlighting his excellent work rate.
The Forest manager naturally had his side counterattacking against City, too, so Murillo’s eight passes into the final third moved the Reds further up the pitch more efficiently, all playing a part in a crucial, memorable victory at the City Ground.