Murillo missed in home defeat but Hutchinson stakes claim for Forest place

SEAN Dyche was adamant Sunday's clash against Brighton & Hove Albion was not a 2-0 game - and it was difficult to argue with the Nottingham Forest head coach.

- By SARAH CLAPSON

The final scoreline at the City Ground could have been anything. In the first 20 minutes, it looked like being a repeat of last season's 7-0 rout only this time to the Seagulls. By the end, the Reds could very well have got something and extended their unbeaten run.

Dyche's charges registered 19 shots over the course of the 90 minutes, although only three were on target. Defeat serves as a reminder that progress is not linear as they try to move away from trouble at the bottom end of the Premier League table.

As he walked toward the tunnel at the end, Morgan Gibbs-White appeared to glance over at the Seagulls players celebrating with their fans. It was one of those frustrating afternoons.

Below is a look at some of the big talking points from Sunday's clash.

Murillo a miss

After feeling his hamstring in Thursday night's triumph over Malmo, Murillo was not risked for this one. With hindsight, might he have been rested completely in midweek rather than being deployed at left-back?

It is indicative of the balancing act Dyche faces as he tries to juggle competing on two fronts. His shortage of fullback options led him to try Murillo and Zach Abbott out of position in the Europa League fixture as he gave Neco Williams and Nicolo Savona a breather.

Dyche felt Morato "did fine" in the heart of the back line against Brighton. There is no glossing over his error that led to the visitors' killer second goal, though. He got it all wrong as he tried to send a header back to Matz Sels.