Forest’s wastefulness overshadows the FPL returns
Nottingham Forest left Ipswich with a point after controlling much of the match, extending a run of performances in which they’ve felt they deserved more. They had also come away frustrated against Arsenal and Crystal Palace. The sharpest problem is familiar: Forest create chances, but too often fail to finish them.
Gibbs-White’s frustration continues
Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.9m) again found a way to leave Fantasy managers feeling that the numbers understated his performance. He created three chances, the most of any player, but also came close to scoring himself: stretching to meet Dan Ndoye’s (£5.5m) cross, he sent a low shot towards goal. Ipswich goalkeeper Christian Walton (£4.4m) got a touch that took the pace off it, giving Leif Davis (£4.0m) time to clear from the line. Davis may not have reached it without Walton’s intervention.
Brentford away is a tougher fixture, but Gibbs-White assisted in both meetings with them in 2025/26. That offers some encouragement for managers weighing up his next match.
Plenty of chances, too few goals
Forest had the upper hand for long stretches, apart from a brief first-half spell, and could argue they should have had a numerical advantage after the break. Ipswich managed no shots between Julio Enciso’s (£5.5m) equaliser—gifted to him by Forest—and stoppage time, when Jack Clarke (£5.3m) nearly snatched a winner. Jaden Philogene’s (£5.4m) 25th-minute volley was the only other effort that seriously troubled Matz Sels (£5.0m).
Forest’s own finishing told a different story. Ndoye and substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi (£5.7m) both had chances from near the six-yard box. Ndoye’s attempt was cleared by a backpedalling Davis, though it was drifting wide. Forest also generated danger from set pieces: eight of their 17 shots followed corners or free-kicks. Murillo (£5.5m) and Jair Cunha (£4.4m) forced saves, then Murillo headed the best dead-ball chance wide.
Liam Delap (£5.5m) remains short of goals. He curled one effort narrowly wide and later headed over from close range. Gibbs-White was visibly unhappy that Delap didn’t knock the ball down for him:
Gibbs-White needs Forest’s forwards to start converting the supply he creates. Delap scored 12 league goals in 2024/25, and Chris Wood (£5.7m) has a record of reaching double figures in a season, so there’s reason for patience. But time on the bench and in the treatment room during 2025/26 may have disrupted both players’ rhythm. The performance against Ipswich showed the gap between creating chances and turning them into points.
“Our last two away games at Palace and today, playing so well in the attack and also defending so well today, especially today, and then really having just one point. It feels completely strange but again it’s what we have to accept. The only way, and I don’t know other ways, is to keep believing in the players, supporting them so that they don’t lose the confidence.
“I was asked before the game about the finishing and then we do some finishing exercises in training, and we need new nets because the players score goal after the other. And this is what we will do: support them and keep going.” – Oliver Glasner
Williams scores, then gets hurt
Advanced wing-backs are a regular feature of Glasner’s approach, and both contributed in this match. Daniel Munoz (£5.3m) supplied the cross for Neco Williams (£5.0m) to score.
Williams’ goal was followed by an injury scare late on. He hurt his elbow, and Oliver Glasner said further assessment was needed. His first reaction offered little reassurance:
“It’s the elbow. So, let’s see. We have to do further assessments, but now it’s huge pain. It doesn’t look really well or really good. Yeah, let’s see.” – Oliver Glasner on Neco Williams
Midfield numbers and Enciso’s breakthrough
The central midfielders made the biggest mark on DefCon, with all four reaching the required contribution levels. James McAtee (£5.5m) recorded 22 contributions, the highest total by a midfielder in a match this season.
Xaver Schlager (£5.0m) now has eight DefCon points in 2026/27, while McAtee has six. Only Kobbie Mainoo (£5.5m) has outscored Schlager among midfielders. Ipswich’s Exequiel Palacios (£5.0m) also sits on eight points despite starting only five matches; his per-90 figures make that return look especially notable.
Above: Midfielders ranked by DefCons per 90 minutes, with at least one start
Enciso also ended a long wait for a goal, scoring with his 23rd attempt. Seventeen of those shots have come from outside the box; all four of his efforts against Forest did, including the one-on-one equaliser. The goal came from distance, but the shot pattern suggests that’s where he’s most often looking for a breakthrough.
Match summary
- More Ipswich Town v Nottingham Forest stats and graphics are available in our Match Centre.
