EPL: Forest's Champions League Hopes Hit as Leicester Earns Late Draw

Nottingham Forest's Champions League aspirations take a hit after a 2-2 draw against already-relegated Leicester City. Find out what happened.

Nottingham Forest dropped points in their Champions League push, drawing 2-2 with Leicester.

Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White gave Forest the lead, but Facundo Buonanotte's late goal earned Leicester a point despite their relegation already being confirmed. Conor Coady's first-half goal had initially put the Foxes ahead.

Victory would have enabled Forest to capitalise on Chelsea's defeat by fellow Champions League hopefuls Newcastle earlier in the day.

But a draw leaves Nuno Espirito Santo's side in seventh spot, one point behind fifth-placed Chelsea.

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was in attendance at the City Ground and, clearly furious about the result, made his way on to the pitch to speak to manager Nuno Espirito Santo at full-time.

After three defeats in their past five, Forest couldn't afford anything less than victory against Leicester.

It was a must-win before Chelsea lost at St James' Park, but the Blues' loss meant Forest's Champions League aspirations were in their own hands.

Simply, three wins from their final three fixtures would have earned Champions League football.

The intent was there from kick-off, with Anthony Elanga creating two good openings for Wood in the opening four minutes.

Nottingham Forest needed a win against Leicester, especially after Chelsea's defeat earlier in the day gave them a chance to control their Champions League fate.

Forest started strong, with Anthony Elanga setting up scoring opportunities for Chris Wood early on.

They were precisely the sort of chances that Wood was taking in a flash earlier in the season, when much was being made of Forest's clinical nature in front of goal.

The goals have dried up in recent weeks though, with the Kiwi scoring just once in 10 appearances before this game.

When Coady headed in an opener, it felt like the day could quickly turn against Forest.

But their response was spirited - and they deserved to lead when Wood headed in from Ola Aina's cross in the second half following Morgan Gibbs-White's equaliser.

But there was a touch of immaturity about the way Forest not only conceded an equaliser, but the manner in which they played out the final minutes in pursuit of a winner.

Buonanotte slalomed through Forest's defence to tuck in an equaliser but there were still 16 minutes left when the eight minutes of added time were factored in.

Forest piled forward in search of a winner - as you would expect - but it was Leicester who looked more threatening, and who twice could have snatched victory.

It was a desperately demoralising result for Forest, who now have to rely on results elsewhere to go their way if they're to qualify for the Champions League.

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

Nottingham Forest's pursuit of a winner ultimately backfired, with Leicester creating clear chances to snatch victory.

The draw was a demoralizing result for Forest, leaving their Champions League hopes dependent on other teams' results.

No Leicester City supporter needs to be told that this display of fighting spirit has come too late into the season.

The sole aim this season was to survive - and they didn't.

But there has been a notable uptick in performances in recent weeks.

The spirit was there when relegation was confirmed in a narrow defeat by Liverpool in mid-April and in the draw with Brighton a week earlier.

Leicester City's display of fighting spirit came too late to save their season, with relegation already confirmed.

However, recent weeks have seen an uptick in performances, with the team showing resilience in narrow defeats and draws, including against Liverpool and Brighton.

It came through a stroke of fortune, when Matz Sels spilled a powerful effort from Bilal El Khannouss to allow Coady to score.

Gibbs-White's equaliser came thanks to some slack marking at the front post, while there was little that could have been done to stop Wood's emphatic header.

What would have pleased Van Nistelrooy even more was the way Leicester remained in the game and Buonanotte's equaliser was the highlight of an otherwise difficult season for the Argentine.

The visitors then had the chance to nick all three points, but the side had already answered Van Nistelrooy's pleas to show the fighting spirit that they'll need to bounce back from the Championship next season.