Nat ends the Laing away-day Blues as Harris wins on road
CARDIFF finally secured their first away victory of the season at the 10th attempt as Nathaniel MendezLaing’s goal proved to be the difference between the sides.
It was Cardiff’s fifth win in a row at the City Ground and leaves them with two wins and a draw from Neil Harris’s three matches in charge.
The new boss said: “I’m delighted because we’ve had a couple of close ones they’ve nearly won away.
“This is a tough place to come at any time of the season. We knew it was going to be a difficult game but our shape, our organisation and our discipline were outstanding.
“We had three or four chances and Nathaniel provided that moment of real class.”
Forest had the better of the early exchanges with Matty Cash and Joe Lolley combining well down their right but the home side struggled to get shots on target in a frustrating opening half.
Sammy Ameobi was the main culprit, fluffing his lines completely with the game’s first real chance.
Ameobi, 27, who once spent a loan spell at Cardiff, finally got a shot on target late in the half but his effort was at a comfortable height for Cardiff keeper Neil Etheridge.
Joao Carvalho was also guilty of blasting over from a promising position, after Lolley had picked him out with a peach of a pass.
It took 14 minutes for Cardiff to carve out an opportunity at the other end but when they did Mendez-Laing was far more clinical.
The midfielder created some space on the edge of the area before curling a beauty into the bottom corner for his second goal in three matches.
Cardiff almost doubled their lead five minutes later after Lee Tomlin won a free-kick and Marlon Pack almost caught out Brice Samba with near-post shot.
Forest started the second half in determined fashion with Cash winning a free-kick that Lolley fired in to test Etheridge. The keeper’s punched clearance fell invitingly for Jack Robinson who saw his powerful shot deflected wide.
It was Cardiff who should have extended their lead though as Gary Madine latched onto Mendez-Laing’s cross and unselfishly laid it off for Junior Hoilett. The winger’s casual finish was cleared off the line by a grateful Joe Worrall.
Cardiff looked happy to protect their lead against an increasingly wasteful Forest side.
The home side’s frustrations were summed up when Worrall tried his luck from 40 yards and saw his shot sail harmlessly into the Trent End.
Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi said: “Unfortunately we worked a lot, we created a lot, had good chances but we weren’t clever enough.”
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