The celebration from Callum Hudson-Odoi was muted. But it said much about what head coach Nuno Espirito Santo wants from his Nottingham Forest side.
Hudson-Odoi netted a peach of a goal on the south coast. It was his second of the season and brought the visitors level after a poor start against Bournemouth. He could have been forgiven for making more of the moment than he did.
Instead, he quickly ran towards the centre circle and urged his teammates to do the same. The clear message was for the Reds to push for more
It typifies the kind of mentality Nuno wants, particularly while Forest are too close to the relegation zone for comfort. He knows further improvement is needed all round to get out of what the Portuguese referred to as a “tough situation”
The Reds will have made the return trip north with positives to reflect on. But there will also have been some degree of frustration that they did not come away with more than a point to show for their efforts.
Keeper call
With Matz Sels’ work permit approved in time, the deadline day signing was thrown straight into the starting line-up. Nuno said it was “not an easy decision” to make, but – perhaps in the FA Cup aside – it is surely the Belgian’s shirt now.
