Nottingham Forest 2-2 Leicester: Facundo Buonanotte nets late equaliser to dent Reds’ Champions League hopes

A team who cannot beat Leicester at home do not deserve to qualify for the Champions League. It really is that simple – and Evangelos Marinakis is as frustrated as anyone.

In a competition where owners prefer to be neither seen nor heard, Nottingham Forest’s leader is a striking contrast and with millions watching worldwide, the Greek shipping magnate gave boss Nuno Espirito Santo a piece of his mind on the pitch after the final whistle.

The conversation was brief and – if Marinakis’ body language is any guide – particularly testy. Forest say the owner was not criticising Nuno directly but was angry because of the lack of communication among backroom staff in the latter stages of the game, which meant substitute Taiwo Awoniyi stayed on the pitch despite clearly carrying an injury.

No matter that Forest are virtually certain to qualify for European football with this draw. Marinakis’ ambitions for this club are huge and the sight of Champions League football slipping away will be desperately disappointing for him, especially after taking only one point from the last three home games. Marinakis recently placed his shares in a blind trust, to ensure Forest and Olympiacos would comply with UEFA rules if both qualify for the Champions League. The scenes after the final whistle demonstrate that he remains in the thick of things.

Forest deserve praise for their season but they have lost their nerve in recent weeks. This Leicester side is one of the poorest of modern times in the Premier League and will deservedly spend next season in the Championship. Forest can blame nobody but themselves for dropping two points on their own patch.

That makes it a single point from three games here against Everton, Brentford and Leicester. It is this run that will likely cost Forest a place in Europe’s premier club competition next term, something they seemed certain to achieve for so long. No wonder the players sank to the ground at full-time, sensing their race was run.

Buonanotte cut through the Forest defence before producing a clinical finish to level the scores

The home side failed to capitalise on Chelsea’s defeat to Newcastle earlier in the day 

Not surprisingly, Nuno refuses to concede. ‘We are battered, we are tired, but the game was ours to win today. I want to find ways to help the players more in the final two games.

‘Anything can happen in these next two games. We have to focus on West Ham and we will never give up, I promise you that.’

Despite falling behind to Conor Coady’s goal for the already-relegated Foxes, strikes either side of half-time from Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood put Forest back on track. They always looked jumpy, though, and it was no great shock when substitute Facundo Buonanotte equalised for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s men in the final 10 minutes.

On his 300th Premier League start for Leicester, Jamie Vardy could not manage his 200th goal for the club but the old wind-up merchant will be delighted to have put a spanner in the works for Leicester’s East Midlands rivals.

Forest must now beat West Ham and Chelsea in their final two matches but their current form provides few reasons for optimism.

So deadly for most of the season, Wood has struggled to recapture maximum sharpness since he returned to action after a hip injury sustained while playing for New Zealand in March.

The early-season version would surely have taken one of the two chances that fell to him inside the opening five minutes.

Neco Williams crossed from the left, Wilfred Ndidi missed his clearance and Wood could not react quickly enough to steer the bouncing ball under the crossbar. Moments later, Wood was stationed perfectly at the far post to meet Anthony Elanga’s cross only to guide the header off target.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s no longer have Champions League qualification in their own hands 

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis stormed onto the pitch at full-time to confront Nuno

The remarkable scenes highlighted just what a frustrating afternoon it had been for Forest

Like Brentford and Everton, Leicester had worked out that the way to frustrate Forest at home is to allow them the ball. The visitors have long since been consigned to Championship football yet an East Midlands derby was enough to focus their minds and they took a shock lead in the 16th minute.

Luke Thomas’ long throw caused confusion among a Forest defence suffering from the absence of injured centre-back Murillo. When the ball was cleared only to Bilal El Khannouss on the edge of the box, Matz Sels saved his drive but the ball looped for Coady to head it home.

Gibbs-White was without a goal or an assist in his previous eight matches and after a slow start here, the home crowd were starting to grumble a little. How relieved they were, then, when Elanga was fouled by Thomas on the right, took the free-kick himself and Gibbs-White drifted to the near post to nod it beyond Jakub Stolarczyk.

Gibbs-White’s celebration indicated that he was aware of the frustration among supporters at his display. That tension would have been lifted again had Stolarczyk not saved from Nicolas Dominguez in the final minute of the half, with Wood unable to readjust in time to put his header on target.

Just before the interval, referee’s assistant Sian Massey-Ellis was booed by Forest fans, who believed Thomas had strayed over the touchline before delivering another long throw.

Forest began the second half on the front foot and Dominguez was desperately close to making a decisive contact on Ola Aina’s cross. The Argentine then headed straight at Stolarczyk from eight yards after Elanga’s cross hit Wout Faes.

The stadium exploded with relief 11 minutes into the half. After Morato had dumped El Khannouss on the deck with a firm challenge, Gibbs-White’s delightful cross was too good for Coady and James Justin and Wood did the rest with a flying header – his 20th goal of the season.

Despite their lead, Forest looked nervy. Morato’s mistimed challenge nearly let in Vardy and when Aina allowed a dropping ball to pass over his head, Kasey McAteer nearly reached it ahead of Sels.

Morgan Gibbs-White headed home from a corner to level the scores in the first half

Chris Wood then put the Reds ahead with a header of his own early on in the secibd half

But Leicester refused to give in and picked up a draw in a rare positive of this dismal season

Sensing Forest’s anxiety, Foxes boss Ruud van Nistelrooy sent on winger Jeremy Monga, who does not turn 16 until July, for his fifth senior appearance.

His fellow substitute Buonanotte had looked very lively after coming on and claimed a fine equaliser nine minutes from time. 

Vardy turned Victor Kristiansen’s lay-off into his path and the Argentine stepped inside Nikola Milenkovic with ease before clipping beyond Sels. 

Awoniyi then sustained an injury trying to convert Elanga’s cross, even though the winger had been clearly offside, and that produced confusion on the touchline. 

Deep into stoppage time, Monga drew a fine stop from Sels as Leicester held on comfortably. .

That left the stage clear for Marinakis’ incredible intervention.