Fine Moult a glass act with North End strike
ALEX NEIL gave Louis Moult clear instructions to start being more selfish – and it paid instant dividends as he netted the winner at Forest.
The Preston boss feels his striker can be too much of a team player and that costs him when it comes to goals.
There is no doubt the former Stoke City trainee has scoring ability after hitting 38 in 84 league games for Motherwell.
But he’s not been able to get near that ratio since arriving at Deepdale in January and Neil told him to get himself into the box more and do what he’s paid to do.
Moult followed the orders to the letter and popped up with the decisive strike which gave Forest’s promotion aspirations a reality check.
He slid in two yards out to force Lukas Nmecha’s cross over the line.
Neil said: “I told him that he needs to be more selfish and think about himself.
“He’s such a team player, coming short to link play and helping out his mates, but I wanted him to stay away from the ball more and get in the area.
“That’s where he needs to be to score more goals. It worked and I am delighted for him and the team.
“They are the best games to win when you work so hard all together and get over the line.”
It was the perfect antidote to Preston’s first defeat in 10 games against Birmingham last weekend and they did an excellent collective job to deny Aitor Karanka’s Premier League hopefuls.
Forest will look back at a dominant first half and a host of wasted chances.
Karanka said: “We should have been two or three goals ahead at half-time, maybe more.
“We have to learn from this. If we want to win games we have to be clinical.”
Tendayi Darikwa started the trend by firing wide after neat play from Joao Carvalho and Joe Lolley.
Matty Cash overran the ball when clean through and Lolley then volleyed wide.
But the biggest culprit was substitute Daryl Murphy who could not find an equaliser with a free header late on.