Morgan Gibbs-White shows off a nasty injury after Nottingham Forest’s win over Chelsea FC 😳

Gibbs-White is assisted off the field (Photo: Getty Images/Justin Setterfield).
After receiving a ton of well-wishes after his unexpected head injury at Chelsea, Morgan Gibbs-White took to social media to thank his supporters. The Nottingham Forest midfielder posted a picture of himself with stitches on his forehead, clearly showing how serious the injury was.

He is doubtful for Thursday’s second leg of the Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa due to the injury. Gibbs-White posted on Instagram, saying, “Thanks for the messages of support. What a win! Well done, Taiwo Awoniyi.”

Forest defeated Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge to move six points clear of the Premier League relegation zone. They are currently undefeated in ten games across all competitions.

The three points were secured by goals from striker Awoniyi on either side of a penalty kick from Igor Jesus. Twenty minutes after coming off the bench, Gibbs-White, a crucial member of Forest’s team, suffered a head injury in the second half.

Forest manager 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Forest had already seen defender Zach Abbott withdrawn due to a concussion substitution before Gibbs-White departed. Abbott, too, had been caught up in a collision of heads. Pereira said, “I spoke with Zach in the dressing room. I think he is OK.”

Pereira had made eight alterations to his starting XI against the Blues. Several key figures, including Gibbs-White, were relegated to the bench as the Portuguese manager looked ahead to Thursday’s second leg, with Forest holding a 1-0 advantage.

“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 in 45 minutes we can recover in three days to be fit for the game against Aston Villa.

This image was posted by Gibbs-White on his Instagram story (Image: morgangibbswhite/Instagram).
“I told my players that while I could change them, I couldn’t change this team’s spirit. They are playing with self-assurance, cohesion, organization, and a desire to win.

“The injury to Morgan Gibbs-White is the only thing I am sad about,” Pereira continued. “We can switch up the players, but the spirit will remain, and we’ll fight for the three points,” I said.

“We need to win games in order to maintain control over our future. Today’s players once again demonstrated their organization, spirit, and quality. I’m thrilled for my players and the fans.”