Forget Williams and Hudson-Odoi, 67-touch Nottingham Forest star was flawless vs Crystal Palace

Nottingham Forest were frustratingly held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday.

A scrumptious Dan Ndoye pass to Callum Hudson-Odoi saw the former Chelsea man equalise Ismaila Sarr’s opening goal in the second half.

Igor Jesus had a glorious chance to win the game at the death, but whacked his left-footed effort against the post with Dean Henderson beaten.

Fans sang the name of Nuno Espirito Santo at the end of the contest and once again, there were some very eye-catching performances from the Forest team.

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Nikola Milenkovic stars for Nottingham Forest

The names of Neco Williams and Hudson-Odoi came into the thoughts of the Forest fan base when it came to picking a Man of the Match here.

However, it was once again the performance put in by Milenkovic that quietly slipped under the radar as he once again stood firm against a barrage of pressure at times.

Nikola Milenkovic stats vs Crystal Palace Total Minutes 90 Aerials Won 3 Touches 67 Pass Accuracy 93% Clearances 6

Milenkovic is money well spent for Forest, with the Serbian playing 37 of the 38 Premier League games last season, missing the opening game of the campaign through suspension.

He cost just £12 million and has largely been colossal since checking in on Trentside following a number of years playing with Fiorentina in Italy.

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Milenkovic is captain material for Forest

With Ryan Yates likely to see his minutes on the pitch dwindle this season, Morgan Gibbs-White is largely considered as the main captain right now.

When he was substituted on Sunday, Chris Wood was tossed the armband and it was perhaps surprising that Milenkovic wasn’t considered the next man up for the responsibility.

Milenkovic quietly goes about everything he does with minimum fuss and his partnership with Murillo has got people placing the duo near the top of the list when it comes to defensive partnerships in the Premier League.

At 27-years-old, Milenkovic is now in his peak and Forest deserve a huge pat on the back for bringing him to the football club last summer amid previous links with Manchester United and Tottenham.

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