Nottingham Forest guaranteed a place in the Championship play-offs last night by securing an impressive victory over Fulham.

The Reds knew that they had to be at their best in order to secure a positive result in this showdown as their opponents were looking to win the league title in front of their own supporters.

Forest made the perfect start to this clash when Philip Zinckernagel benefitted from a mix-up between Tim Ream and Marek Rodak as he slotted home from close-range.

Following the break, Aleksandar Mitrovic missed a great opportunity to level for Fulham as he headed over when well placed.

Brice Samba then produced a superb save to deny Fabio Carvalho from scoring an equaliser in the closing stages of the clash.

Here, we have decided to reflect on this match by taking a look at three things we clearly learnt about Forest after their 1-0 victory over Fulham...

Cooper's decision to play Steve Cook turned out to be a masterstroke

When you consider that Steve Cook's last start for Forest came during their 4-0 victory over Reading in March, head coach Steve Cooper knew that he was taking somewhat of a risk by playing the defender in last night's game.

However, this decision turned out to be a masterstroke as Cook helped his side keep a clean-sheet at Craven Cottage by winning three aerial duels and making three clearances.

Having recorded a WhoScored match rating of 7.01 in this game, it wouldn't be at all surprising if the defender keeps his place in the side for Forest's remaining league fixtures.

Forest will need Richard Laryea to step up to the mark if Jack Colback's injury turns out to be serious

Jack Colback managed to produce an assured display at left-back yesterday before picking up a knock in the second-half which resulted in him being replaced by Richie Laryea.

Whereas the extent of Colback's injury has yet to be revealed, Forest will need Laryea to step up to the mark if his team-mate is unable to feature in Saturday's showdown with Swansea City as fellow full-back Max Lowe is currently struggling to overcome an issue with his groin.

 

 

Having only made two cameo appearances for the Reds since joining the club earlier this year, Laryea's ability to adapt quickly to life in the Championship could play a key role in his side's promotion push

Surridge's ability to maintain his performance levels will help Forest in their hunt for second place

Forest are now only three points behind AFC Bournemouth in the Championship standings and currently have the same goal difference (+30) as Scott Parker's side.

With Lewis Grabban and Keinan Davis both being forced to watch on from the sidelines, Sam Surridge has led the line for the Reds in the last three league games.

After scoring in his side's meetings with West Bromwich Albion and Peterborough United, Surridge once again illustrated that he is capable of maintaining his consistency at this level as he produced another solid performance last night.

The forward set up Zinckernagel's match-winning goal against Fulham and will now be tasked with spearheading Forest's push for the second automatic promotion spot in the Championship.