Nottingham Forest fans would have been seriously worried about their side’s Premier League survival chances at the half-time break of their showdown with Burnley.
Scott Parker’s Clarets headed into the interval one goal to the good, with the Tricky Trees just two points ahead of 18th placed Tottenham Hotspur as a result.
Thankfully, whatever Vitor Pereira said at at the break clearly worked wonders.
Indeed, Forest ended up resoundingly beating the visitors from Lancashire 4-1, in a second-half whitewash that was predominantly spearheaded by a stunning individual display from Morgan Gibbs-White.
Gibbs-White saves the day vs Burnley
Gibbs-White has had a sensational season in front of goal, with 12 goals now put away from 33 Premier League games for the season.
Those numbers were healthily bumped up on Sunday by his rapid-fire second-half trick against Burnley, as Pereira and Co are now five points ahead of Spurs in 18th, who once had Gibbs-White firmly on their transfer radar.
The one-time Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder would seal his hat-trick after he confidently placed a header past Martin Dubravka with 13 minutes remaining of normal time, as the vibrant number 10 easily went about his business against the leaky away side.
Gibbs-White would proudly wear the captain’s armband throughout, too, bravely winning five tackles and duels, leading to his manager hailing him as a “fantastic” talent who is “leading by example.”
Indeed, his energy and application would raise the levels of those around him, with Igor Jesus making sure of the three points in the 98th minute, when his breakaway effort – which is his first-ever strike at the City Ground – made it 4-1.
Forest really did need Gibbs-White to take the game by the scruff of its neck in the action-packed second half, as far too many attackers were lifeless and insipid in the first half against Parker’s challengers, with one player, in particular, in danger of becoming Forest’s next Arnaud Kalimuendo.
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Forest have splashed the cash in recent years to varying levels of success, with the decision to snap up Elliot Anderson for only £35m from Newcastle United continuing to look like a masterstroke.
In stark contrast, the £27.5m splashed out on the services of Kalimuendo last summer already looks to be a rash waste of cash, as the Frenchman was chucked out on loan to Eintracht Frankfurt in January, just mere months after joining.
Failing to pick up a single goal or assist for the Midlands side in the Premier League, before being handed a lifeline in Germany, it’s clear that the ex-Rennes forward just isn’t cut out for the high intensity of the top division, like Gibbs-White is.
Dilane Bakwa looks to be heading down the same route as his fellow summer arrival with the £30m summer recruit from Strasbourg being hooked at the half-time mark against Burnley, after another poor performance in Forest red.
Making his first appearance in the league for the Tricky Trees since the start of March, you might have thought that Bakwa would be up for the contest, as he tries to show Pereira why he warrants more minutes.
Instead, the lifeless number 29 was replaced at the half-time mark by Jesus, who – alongside Gibbs-White – changed the complexion of the contest, with Bakwa offering very little to suggest he will ever become a Premier League-calibre talent worthy of his audacious £30m billing.
Bakwa vs Burnley
Stat
Bakwa
Minutes played
45
Touches
21
Shots
0
Accurate passes
10/12 (83%)
Successful dribbles
0
Progressive carries
1
Possession lost
8x
Indeed, across his no-show 45-minute display, Bakwa failed to hit a single shot at Dubravka’s goal, only managed a meagre ten accurate passes, and failed to complete a single dribble.
Off the back of another dire showing, the 23-year-old – who lit up Ligue 1 last season with six goals and eight assists – remains stuck on just one paltry assist from 11 Premier League matches, with it not being a great shock if Bakwa was potentially moved on during the off-season.
The relegation-threatened outfit must wish they could turn back time now and not go down to the wire on transfer deadline day to win the £30m flop, with this deal going down as another costly transfer blunder, like Kalimuendo’s.
Thankfully, the £25m once splashed out on Gibbs-White continues to look like money very wisely spent.
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