Nuno sets Nottingham Forest challenge after 'mature' performance halts Brentford record
by Sarah Clapson · NottinghamshireLiveHead coach Nuno Espirito Santo will keep pushing Nottingham Forest to hit even greater heights as they continue to compete at the top end of the Premier League table.
The Reds inflicted a first home defeat of the season on Brentford as they triumphed 2-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium. Goals from Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga clinched a third successive win for the Reds and saw them go third after the final whistle.
It was a terrific team performance from the visitors, particularly at the back to keep their opponents at bay. They needed a superb save from Matz Sels to keep out Kristoffer Ajer in the second half but were well worth the three points.
“It says a lot about the way we are working,” Nuno said. “Since the beginning we realised there were so many things to improve - and there still are.
“I’m very proud of the players. I see them working every day. We push them and demand a lot of them because we want to compete well and make things right.
“There is still a lot of room for improvement. Since we arrived our message was that it isn’t about the table, it is about improving the players and the team, and about finding solutions.
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“We haven’t achieved anything yet. There is still a very long way to go, starting with a very hard game against Tottenham on Boxing Day.
“It was a good performance. We started the game well, realising that Brentford are very strong at home and have a good record in the first minutes of games.
“The team was mature enough to understand that and be stable and compact. And then we tried to have control of the game, which isn’t always easy.
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“There was a spell in the second half where we were on the ropes. But we were resilient in that moment and had a bit of luck with the save from Matz.
“After that, it was about staying in the game and always having the ambition to have the threat of the counterattack. That didn’t happen, basically because Brentford are so good and didn’t allow us to do that. But I’m very proud of the way we worked today.”