Algerian defender Yohan Benalouane impressed at the heart of Nottingham Forest's defence last night, bagging the winning goal as well.

He opened the scoring in the second minute of the game and that proved to be enough to see Forest over the line against their bitter rivals.

It's their fourth match unbeaten under Martin O'Neill and moves them to within touching distance of the top six.

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Benalouane played just 29 times for Leicester in a three-year period, missing out on a Premier League winners medal due to a lack of game time. He joined Forest in the transfer window to shore up their defence and has achieved that feat in just a handful of matches.

Last night he impressed with his all round display, not just his goal but his prowess at the back as well. Has he been the revelation that Forest fans hoped he would be? Our FLW spotlight looks at his performance last night to find out.

The 31-year-old scored the opening goal and managed two efforts on goal during the game. That's impressive for a centre back and showed his willingness to get forward and add an extra dimension to the attack.

He's a big player, 6ft 1in tall, and he showed his aerial prowess by winning seven aerial duels during the game. As the match wore on and Derby looked to get the ball forward quickly, he showed himself to be a bedrock upon which the Forest team can build.

 

He made three interceptions too, helping his side to a valuable clean sheet and of course, three even more valuable points. His passing left a bit to be desired, he managed to get 26 balls away, but only 61.5% of those found their target.

The numbers point to a very 'old school' defender, comfortable with kicking it away, heading it away and putting his body on the line at both ends. On last night's evidence he's not one to play out from the back, but he's added a certain steel to the back four that will be crucial between now and May.