WAGHORN LIFESAVER
Stunning free-kick stops rot for Cocu
FOREST stuck under-pressure Phillip Cocu in the condemned man’s dugout. But Martyn Waghorn tried to blast him free.
Three weeks ago Nottingham Forest manager Sabri Lamouchi stood in the same shelter, saw his team lose 2-1 and three days later he was a goner.
With five league defeats out of six going into this local derby, Cocu was on dodgy ground – never mind owner Mel Morris going out of his way to make statements of support.
So it was just as well that Waghorn had fire-power. His 30th-minute freekick was stupendous.
Sammy Ameobi sent Jason Knight to the floor and then Waghorn, back after injury, flattened Forest.
Maybe Waghorn had been studying Wayne Rooney and his set- piece brilliance because he banged in a 25-yarder, the ball slamming against the crossbar and bouncing up and in.
Graeme Shinnie should soon have made it 2-0 but Brice Samba saved his effort at point-blank range.
Forest were dull until new boss Chris Hughton brought on Anthony Knockaert for his debut at half-time.
He turned Derby inside out and by the 64th minute the winger had set up Forest for an equaliser.
Knockaert won a corner, took it, and amid the confusion in the Derby defence, Lyle Taylor turned and scored his first Forest goal ( below).
Derby trembled when Knockaert got the ball and were under heavy pressure when they launched a quick counter attack and Kamil Jozwiak shot low inside a post.
Cocu was celebrating until a linesman’s flag ruled it out for offside against Waghorn, who was standing in Samba’s line of sight.
Complaints brought nothing and Derby were left with the job of taming Knockaert-inspired Forest.
Giving free- kicks away was dangerous though, and after Forest had cleared Tom Lawrence’s set piece, Lee Buchanan sent in a 30-yard drive that needed a deflection to keep it out. NOTTINGHAM FOREST: Samba 7, Christie 6, Figueiredo 6, McKenna 6, Ioannou 6, Lolley 6, Yates 6, Arter 6, Ameobi 6, Grabban 5 (Knockaert 45, 7), Taylor 6
DERBY: Marshall 6, Byrne 6 (Holmes 76, 5), Wisdom 6, Davies 6, Clarke 6, Buchanan 6, Knight 7, Shinnie 7, Jozwiak 6, Waghorn 9 (Kazim-Richards 85), Lawrence 8 (Sibley 85)