Forest's Champions League hopes hit by draw with Leicester

Nottingham Forest's hopes of securing a Champions League spot took a huge hit when they were held to a 2-2 draw by relegated Leicester City on Sunday as Nuno Espirito Santo's side fell to seventh in the Premier League standings.

The result leaves Forest a point behind fifth-placed Chelsea with two games left and although they secured European football for the first time in 30 years, the draw felt like a defeat with their Champions League ambitions no longer in their own hands.

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was clearly not pleased as he came on to the pitch to remonstrate and speak with the Portuguese manager before walking away, muttering under his breath.

Forest have now gone three league games without a win and goal-scorer Morgan Gibbs-White said their recent run of form was frustrating.

Drama to the end at the City Ground 😰

Nottingham Forest drop points, but secure European football for next season#NFOLEI pic.twitter.com/mFeUFCjeUD

— Premier League (@premierleague) May 11, 2025

"These past three or four games have just not been good enough," he told Sky Sports. "We played well on the ball today but we can't concede two goals like that today.

"We've secured Europe, that's great for the fans, it's great for the club. But we want more. The fans' and our expectations, five or six games ago, were the Champions League. But we've got to be positive."

Forest started slowly as Leicester took the lead in the 16th minute when Bilal El Khannouss fired from range to force a save from keeper Matz Sels, but defender Conor Coady was on hand to knock in the rebound for his first league goal of the season.

Their lead lasted only nine minutes until Forest won a free kick on the right flank and Anthony Elanga whipped the ball into the box for an unmarked Gibbs-White to score with a towering header.

WOOD SCORES 20TH GOAL

Forest started the second half on the front foot and, minutes after Nicolas Dominguez had a diving header saved, Gibbs-White sent in another cross to the far post where Chris Wood connected with a header to make it 2-1, his 20th goal of the season.

Forest got away with what could have been a costly error when Ola Aina let a ball bounce behind him that allowed Kasey McAteer to go for a header, but Sels was alert to the danger and snuffed out the chance to give the home side a reprieve.

Leicester did not back down and they were rewarded in the 81st minute when Jamie Vardy's back-heel pass set Facundo Buonanotte on his way as the Argentine winger dribbled through the defence in the box before beating Sels.

Leicester's Jeremy Monga nearly became the first 15-year-old to score in the Premier League when Vardy set him up for a shot in the seventh minute of added time, but Sels did well to deny the teenager.

As the final whistle blew, there was disappointment all around The City Ground even though they will play in Europe next season for the first time since a quarterfinal exit in the Uefa Cup in the 1995-96 season.