Nottingham Forest drew 2-2 with Aston Villa on Sunday.
Vladimir Stojkovic in action for Serbia
Nottingham Forest came from behind to earn a point as they picked up a 2-2 draw away at Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.
Forest went into the game having beaten Leeds United 3-1 before the international break, and took the lead against Villa in the second half when Apostolos Vellios smashed home a stunning long-range strike into the top corner.
However, Villa hit back in remarkable fashion as not only did Ross McCormack slot home an equaliser, but Rudy Gestede quickly swooped with an acrobatic effort to put Villa in front.
Mustapha Carayol in action with Brentford’s Alan Judge
Villa have had a tendency to concede late so far this season though, and they did it again as Henri Lansbury struck with a fine finish to rescue a point for Forest – and Philippe Montanier’s side managed to hang on even after Hildeberto Pereira’s red card.
Forest showed that there is certainly life after Oliver Burke following the winger’s big-money move to Leipzig, and manager Montanier actually handed debuts to two of the club’s recent signings.
Aston Villa’s Ross McCormack celebrates after beating Vladimir Stojkovic
Goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic arrived with major experience having played for Red Star Belgrade, Sporting Lisbon, Wigan Athletic, Partzan Belgrade and Maccabi Haifa, and proved his quality against Villa.
The 33-year-old – seemingly the replacement for Dorus De Vries after the Dutchman joined Celtic – starred against Villa with a number of fine saves, and Forest fans took to Twitter to rave about his performance.
However, supporters weren’t quite so keen on another new signing in Mustapha Carayol, who has been brought in to provide pace out wide following Burke’s departure.
Rotherham United’s Grant Ward in action with Mustapha Carayol
Many suggested that he was lazy and didn’t offer enough defensively, but there is of course plenty of time for the Middlesbrough loanee to turn things around given that this was only his first game.
Here are some of the reactions from Forest fans on Twitter after Stojkovic and Carayol made their debuts for the club…
What did you think of Stojkovic and Carayol’s performances against Aston Villa?
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