NOTTM FOREST
SCORE AFTER 90 MINUTES RAFA BENITEZ doesn’t look to have much in reserve as his second string left the Newcastle manager with as many questions as answers.
The underlings at least had the consolation of finding the net – something their firstchoice team-mates have failed to do this season – as this game went into extra-time.
But Forest came within inches of a dramatic stoppage-time winner when Jason Cummings’ free-kick struck the bar.
If anything, the replacements showed greater defensive frailties, with shocking defending allowing Cummings to help himself to two well-taken goals either side of efforts from Aleksandar Mitrovic and Rolando Aarons, which bookended a first-half full of madcap defending from both sides.
Newcastle started well and initially showed few signs of the defensive frailty which Forest would so ruthlessly exploit in the space of two minutes.
Having shown little inclination to open their account in their first two Premier League games, the hosts belatedly claimed a first goal this season.
Mitrovic ended a long personal barren spell to hand his side an ideal start inside three minutes.
Aarons, another making his first start of the season as one of 10 changes, fashioned the chance with a run down the left to find Mitrovic in the area with a simple square ball.
The forward engineered space with a swift shimmy before firing past Jordan Smith into the right corner of the Forest keeper’s net from 15 yards. It was the Serbian’s first goal in domestic football since February.
Mohammed Diame came close to an audacious second soon after when the midfielder intercepted a pass from Andreas Bouchalakis to hit a spectacular shot from 45 yards that flew narrowly over.
Forest got to grips and from Bouchalakis’s pass, Ben Brereton was through on goal but saw his shot well blocked by an advancing Karl Darlow.
The former Forest goalkeeper was often employed and had to get down smartly to beat out a shot on the turn from Cummings. Brereton had strong penalty