Nottingham Forest boss Cooper praises Worrall: Tragic what has happened

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper lavished praise on one of his key players over the weekend.

Cooper was buoyant as his side picked up a vital win over Chelsea in the Premier League.

Post-game, he paid tribute to captain Joe Worrall after the star man played through grief over his uncle's death.

He said: He has been incredible. He has put himself second for the football club. It has given him a release. The guys showed him a huge amount of respect for what he has been through and I cannot speak highly enough of the man he has been this week or so.

I know how important this will be. It will give him and his family some respite. Nothing can make what happened any better but at least it gives him some nice feelings for a while. A lot of that result today was for them."

Cooper added to BBC Sport: "Really proud of him. It's tragic what's happened. It's Joe's story to tell more than mine. What I do know is that he's represented his family and himself incredibly well.

"Football has helped him, the club has helped him. He got a round of applause in the dressing room there. There's a lot of respect for him and that win definitely is for him and his family. It was a long time coming.

"To come somewhere like Stamford Bridge against this team and get a result like we did today and in the way that we did it is one that I think the players deserve after what went on at Old Trafford. We've fallen short since we got back into the Premier League, so for us to get up and running here today this season is really rewarding for everyone involved."