Liam Delap: Nottingham Forest need better chances as well as sharper finishing on his return to Ipswich

Liam Delap had one final opportunity to rescue Nottingham Forest against Arsenal. Ezri Konsa’s recovery challenge ended it.

That intervention left Forest with another defeat and another afternoon without a home goal. For Delap, it extended a wait that has lasted since his winner at Aston Villa on 12 September.

His return to Ipswich on Friday offers an obvious setting for a response. But the evidence from Forest’s latest defeat suggests that asking their centre-forward to be more clinical will only solve part of the problem.

Delap needs to finish better. Forest also need to make finishing easier.

Fourteen shots did not mean fourteen good chances

Forest finished their 1-0 defeat by Arsenal with more attempts than the visitors. That sounds encouraging until the quality of those attempts is considered.

Forest against Arsenal	Total
Shots	14
Shots on target	2
Shots blocked	6
Expected goals	0.90

Source: Sky Sports’ match statistics, Premier League, 18 October 2026. Figures cover the full match.

Expected goals estimates the likelihood of shots becoming goals. Forest’s total was below one despite those 14 attempts, while six were blocked before they could trouble David Raya.

That suggests a team finding opportunities to shoot more often than opportunities to finish cleanly. It is a distinction that matters when assessing both the striker and the supply reaching him.

There were threatening moments. Delap almost created an opening for Neco Williams after half-time. Late on, Declan Rice blocked Chris Wood, Murillo shot narrowly over after carrying the ball forward, and Konsa intervened against Delap.

Those incidents, detailed in Opta’s match analysis, show how close Forest came to changing the result. They also show the importance of Arsenal’s defending: several opportunities ended with a defender still able to affect the shot.

Liam Delap needs goals, but the chances matter too

Opta’s player figures give Delap one goal in six Premier League appearances for Forest, across 440 minutes.

That is a modest return, and there is a finishing problem to address. As beIN Sports’ Ipswich preview notes, he has gone 15 attempts without scoring since his first Forest goal.

Yet against Arsenal, StatMuse records his chances at just 0.16 expected goals. That does not describe a striker repeatedly wasting clear opportunities.

One match against the champions cannot explain his whole start. Equally, a low expected-goals total does not remove his responsibility: movement, anticipation and the speed of a decision can help a striker turn a difficult opening into a better one.

The useful question for Forest is whether Delap is receiving the ball early enough, and in positions that allow him to shoot before defenders recover. His work around the penalty area needs to lead to more opportunities inside it.

What Gibbs-White’s return could change

Morgan Gibbs-White is available again after missing the Arsenal match with a muscle problem. His return gives Oliver Glasner another player capable of supplying Delap and threatening goal himself.

Gibbs-White has one goal and two assists from six league appearances this season. His importance is clear, although Glasner has been careful about placing the entire burden on his captain.

“He’s an important part, but he can’t win the game alone, so we need a top team performance,” the manager said in comments reported by beIN Sports.

For Delap, the potential benefit is an extra combination close to goal: a pass into feet followed by a run beyond him, or an earlier release when he moves between defenders. Those are ways Forest could improve the service, rather than simply increasing the number of deliveries into the box.

There is a balance to strike. Delap showed against Arsenal that he can help create for others. Forest also need other players to do enough of that work to leave him attacking the final pass.

Ipswich will test more than their finishing. All three of the hosts’ league wins this season have come through goals in the 90th minute or stoppage time. Forest cannot afford to lose control late on, even if their attack finally clicks.

The Portman Road meeting kicks off at 8pm BST on Friday. A goal would give Delap an immediate lift. A more regular supply of clear chances would give Forest something to build on after the homecoming is over.