Portuguese attacker Jota Silva made quite the impression on his first start for new club Nottingham Forest, scoring in their League Cup clash with Newcastle United on Wednesday.
Having made his Premier League debut as a substitute in stoppage time at the end of Forest’s victory over Southampton at the weekend, Jota was handed his full debut by Nuno Espírito Santo against the Magpies, who progressed at Forest’s expense via penalties at the City Ground.
Forest fell behind to Joe Willock’s opener after less than 20 seconds, but Jota levelled things up at 1-1 early in the second half with a thumping finish. The ball landed at the feet of the former Vitória man after a long throw-in and Jota reacted instinctively to smash a right-footed shot past Nick Pope off the upper inside of the post.
Jota was replaced by Nuno ten minutes later on the hour mark, after which Forest were held to a 1-1 draw. The match was settled on penalties, with Nuno’s side giving up an early 2-1 lead to lose 4-3 following missed kicks by Jota’s replacement Ibrahima Sangaré and striker Taiwo Awoniyi.
Jota's first in the Garibaldi ☝️ pic.twitter.com/WqVNK29xKi
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) August 28, 2024
“I’m very happy with the goal and the game, I think we played a great game,” Jota said after the defeat. “In the penalties, I think it’s luck, hard work, but luck.”
“I think that I do what I can for the team, I work hard, I try to do well what the coach tells me and I keep working, helping the team. I think we played very well, we created a lot of chances. There is another game on Saturday and we need to be ready.
“I’m very well, happy to be here, excited, it was a dream since I was a child, I continue to work and help the team. The atmosphere is incredible, this is England, it’s Nottingham, it’s the City Ground, very happy to play here.”
Jota was voted Player of the Match after the final whistle. His performance surely puts the 25-year-old firmly in Nuno’s thoughts for a potential first Premier League start as Forest host Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.
By @SeanGillen9
