Late strike from Elliot Anderson secures vital Newcastle draw for Forest

Elliot Anderson reminded Newcastle exactly what they had to give up with a late goal that earned Nottingham Forest a vital 1–1 draw in their bid for Premier League survival.

Much has been made of Anderson’s move to the City Ground from the Magpies in 2024, which was essentially a £35million transfer to satisfy his boyhood club’s PSR demands.

But the England midfielder showed there was no room for sentiment as his 88th-minute goal won his side a point that moves them to the brink of survival.

Anderson cancelled out Harvey Barnes’ opener to increase Forest’s gap to the bottom three to seven points, with West Ham and Tottenham yet to play this weekend.

It was also a perfect response to Thursday night’s Europa League heartbreak, where they were hammered 4-0 by Aston Villa in the semi-final second leg, as their unbeaten run in the Premier League extended to eight matches.

This was another disappointing afternoon for Newcastle as their season continues to end with a whimper and their hopes of snatching European qualification were damaged.

Forest had a quick turnaround from that harrowing night at Villa Park and despite having Morgan Gibbs-White, Murillo and Ibrahim Sangare in the treatment room, they equipped themselves well.

Neither side had much of a creative spark, but the hosts threatened the most, carving out the best chances in the first half.

Dilane Bakwa was at the heart of it as he terrorised the Newcastle defence down the left.

First, his jinking run into the area saw a shot blocked before he skinned Dan Burn and got to the byline, but his cross was too fierce for Taiwo Awoniyi to convert from close range.

Then, a dangerous ball in saw Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope go walkabout and the ball fell for Jair Cunha, who