Brighton and Hove Albion supporters may have realised it was not going to be their day when Moises Caicedo – who has barely put a foot wrong under Roberto de Zerbi – lost possession inside his own half seconds before Nottingham Forest took the lead at the City Ground on Wednesday night.
Caicedo, so outstanding against Manchester United at Wembley just three days earlier, fell some way short of the form that had Brighton demanding £90 million when Arsenal came calling during the January transfer window.
And, funnily enough, it was another exciting, South American central midfielder with admirers at the Emirates who set relegation-threatened Forest on their way to a potentially season-saving 3-1 win on the banks of the Trent.
Arsenal, according to Goal, had a bid rejected by Palmeiras for Danilo last summer. By the time January rolled around, however, Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar switched their focus to players with a proven track record in England’s top flight.
Hence why the vastly-experienced Jorginho arrived from Chelsea, after Brighton refused to budge on Caicedo.
Nottingham Forest’s Danilo outshines Moises Caicedo
Danilo would end up at Forest instead, reuniting with former Palmeiras team-mate Gustavo Scarpa after sealing a £16 million move. The 3-1 midweek win over Brighton not only brought up Danilo’s first goal at the eleventh attempt in Forest colours, it also capped what was his most complete, most convincing performance in Garibaldi red.
“This is a really good finish from Danilo,” Alan Shearer – who knows a thing or two about taking chances – told BT Sport as the 21-year-old drilled low and hard into Brighton’s bottom corner. “It was a really good piece of work from him. It’s a lovely finish.”
Fielded in a more advanced role by Steve Cooper, with Orel Mangala mopping up in behind, Danilo epitomised everything good about Nottingham Forest on the night. He was aggressive, dynamic, always on the front foot; seizing upon a rare Brighton mistake in the most ruthless manner.
You can probably count on one hand this season the amount of times Moises Caicedo has been overshadowed in the centre of the park under De Zerbi. Wednesday night in the East Midlands – with Danilo coming of age in English football – was certainly one of those.
And it’s ironic, in a way, that Arsenal looked like a team in desperate need for a player of Danilo’s aggression, energy and intensity during a limp 4-1 defeat at Manchester City which felt very much like the footballing equivalent of being woken up from the sweetest of dreams by a bucket of ice water.
On an evening which changed the picture at either end of the table, Arsenal’s title ambitions went up in smoke while Nottingham Forest’s survival hopes received the most timely of boosts.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
