Nottingham Forest were inspired on Sunday as the Premier League curtain raiser for the Reds ended in a 3-1 win over Brentford.
Chris Wood scored twice. Who else? There was also a debut goal for Dan Ndoye, praised by Nuno Espirito Santo for his efforts after the contest.
In truth, picking a Man of the Match was impossible. The rearguard was robust with the same five playing from last season, and Neco Williams was probably the pick of the defenders.
In midfield, Elliot Anderson was outstanding, whilst Ibrahim Sangare produced arguably his best Forest performance.
Wood was excellent in attack and so too was Tottenham-linked Morgan Gibbs-White who claimed the sponsor’s Man of the Match.
Anthony Elanga left for Newcastle in the summer, and he had some praise for one player after the victory.
Nottingham Forest midfielder Ibrahim Sangare
Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
Anthony Elanga raves about Ibrahim Sangare
Sangare produced a truly magnificent performance against Brentford and proved to his critics that he can be a big player this season.
The Ivorian looked fitter, stronger and more determined than ever to silence those who have doubted him since his £30 million move to the City Ground.
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Elanga was certainly impressed with the performance of the midfield warrior and took to Instagram to heap praise on the enforcer.
He posted an emoji of Patrick Vieira, which is a nod towards Ola Aina, who compared Sangare to the Arsenal legend after the game on Sunday.
Ndoye and Hudson-Odoi also reacted and if nothing else right now, Sangare definitely has the backing of his teammates at Forest.
Sangare will be massive for Forest this season
At 27, the player should be in his prime now and it’s just a shame that he will be heading off to the African Cup of Nations in January.
Forest will, of course, make sure they’re well-stocked, but Sangare is starting to really come of age at the City Ground and silence his critics.
The Ivorian was brilliant against Brentford and his work out of possession didn’t go unnoticed as he allowed Anderson and Gibbs-White the platform to truly express themselves.
Furthermore, Sofa Score shared that Sangare ran 10.5km during the win over Brentford, with eight sprints coming from the international midfielder.
Forest want Douglas Luiz this week but on this showing, Sangare is proving a bit of an immovable object in Espirito Santo’s engine room.