Premier League legend Alan Shearer has heaped praise on midfielder Danilo following his excellent performance for Nottingham Forest in their 3-1 win over Brighton on Wednesday evening.
The midlands outfit headed into the clash in the relegation zone, while Brighton had ambitions of playing European football next season and boast some of the finest midfield talents in the Premier League, with Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister both on the radar of the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool this summer.
(Photo by Craig Thomas/News Images) 2NWHCGP Moises Caicedo #25 of Brighton & Hove Albion during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match Stoke City vs Brighton and Hove Albion at Bet365 Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom, 28th February 2023
(Photo by Craig Thomas/News Images) (Alamy Stock Photo)
But in something of a shock, it was Forest that walked away with all three points against the Seagulls at the City Ground, and pulled themselves clear of the relegation zone in the process with five games left to play.
Central to their success was Brazilian midfielder and January addition Danilo, who put Forest in front just after the hour mark, capping an excellent evening for the youngster in the process.
Danilo lifts the roof! 🔊
Magnificent finish from the Brazilian 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/bkI9MewAOa
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 26, 2023
Linked with Arsenal for the last three transfer windows, he joined Forest for £18m in January and, though he has been eased into proceedings, looks to be a bargain at that price.
Grabbing his first goal for Forest at a vital time, his introduction to the side could prove pivotal to their hopes of Premier League survival, and he certainly caught the eye of Premier League Hall of Fame striker Alan Shearer.
Danilo vs. Brighton:
1 goal
77% pass accuracy
2 key passes
3 acc. long balls
1 big chance created
3 shots
100% dribble success
1 ground duel won
1 clearance
1 block
2 interceptions🇧🇷 #NFFC pic.twitter.com/OxE5SaMxjP
— Callum Castel (@callumcasteln) April 26, 2023
“This is a really good finish from Danilo and it was a really good piece of work from him. It’s a lovely finish.”
Having now made three successive starts for Forest, the 21-year-old talent will be hoping that his performance against the Seagulls will have been enough to keep him in the side for their upcoming clash with out-of-form Brentford, while he also has a clash against former suitors Arsenal to look forward to later in the season.
