Nottingham Forest 'challenge' set after first home win and tough watch for Nuno
by Sarah Clapson · NottinghamshireLiveHead coach Nuno Espirito Santo has challenged Nottingham Forest to build on their first home win of the season after they saw off Crystal Palace 1-0.
Chris Wood’s second-half strike secured all three points for the Reds as they climbed up to eighth in the Premier League table. It was their first victory at the City Ground in the league since April.
Nuno admitted it was tough to watch from the stands as he served the first of a three-match touchline ban. Forest were also without suspended duo Morgan Gibbs-White and James Ward-Prowse, but thanks to Wood’s goal and some big saves from goalkeeper Matz Sels they came through against Oliver Glasner’s side.
“I saw it from up in the stands! I saw it difficult but we are so happy that finally we can give this moment to our fans. They have been waiting so long for it and have always been supporting and helping us. We are especially delighted for them,” Nuno said.
“Watching from the stands was not the best place to be. But as coaching staff we organised before so we could have communication.
“We are delighted (being eighth in the table) but it’s not what is important. What guides us is not the table. What guides us is the level of performance; to sustain it is always the difficulty.
“The big challenge is always ahead of you. We want to raise the bar and sustain that level.
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“Before the international break we showed how we must play football. We cannot ignore the talent of our opponents; we have to run more than them, we have to cover and always have bodies in front of their players, and this is what is important. What is important is the spirit and bond so we can progress as a team. It is how we do things.
“It says a lot about the game itself when Matz is one of your best players in the team. It shows how difficult it is to play against Palace, because they are very good. They are solid, compact and don’t give you any space; they are always pressing and have so much talent up front. We are delighted Matz did a very good job and kept us in the game.”