Morgan Gibbs-White turned to social media to thank supporters after receiving an outpouring of goodwill messages following his alarming head injury at Chelsea. The Nottingham Forest midfielder posted an image of himself displaying stitches across his forehead, with the seriousness of the gash clearly visible. The injury casts doubt over his availability for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa.
Taking to Instagram, Gibbs-White wrote: “Thanks for the messages of support, what a win, well done Taiwo Awoniyi.” Forest extended their cushion to six points above the Premier League drop zone with a commanding 3-1 triumph over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They are now enjoying a 10-match unbeaten streak across all competitions. Forward Awoniyi netted either side of an Igor Jesus spot-kick to clinch the three points. Forest were forced to withdraw key player Gibbs-White due to a head injury in the second half, merely 20 minutes after entering from the bench.
Forest boss Vitor Pereira said: “I’m waiting. Gibbs-White has a deep cut but he is a fighter and has a strong mentality. I hope our medical department can do magic to put him in condition (to play against Villa). We will see.
“I said to him: ‘You don’t need to head the ball just to play’. He is speaking normally, he remembers everything. The only thing is the pain – we will see.”
Forest had already witnessed defender Zach Abbott substituted following a concussion protocol before Gibbs-White was forced off. Abbott, too, had been involved in a clash of heads. Pereira said: “I spoke with Zach in the dressing room. I think he is OK.”
Pereira had made eight changes to his starting XI against the Blues. Several key players, including Gibbs-White, were demoted to the bench as the Portuguese boss looked towards Thursday’s second leg, with Forest holding a 1-0 lead.
“I know very well my players. I work with them every day. I did the same when we went to Midtjylland and they performed very well,” said Pereira.
“For me, I tried to balance the energy of the team. We have some injuries. I decided to give 45 minutes (to some), because 45 minutes we can recover in three days to be fit for the game against Aston Villa.
“I said to my players, I can change them but I cannot change the spirit of this team. They are playing with confidence, unity and organisation – and ambition to win the game.”
Pereira added: “The only thing I am sad about is the injury to Morgan Gibbs-White. I said we can change the players but the spirit will be there, and we will compete for the three points.
“We want to keep our future in our hands – and to do that we have to win games. Today, the players proved again the spirit, the quality and the organisation. I am very happy for my players and the supporters.”