Nuno Espirito Santo is confident Nottingham Forest can continue to compete with the best in the Premier League after their stunning triumph over Aston Villa.
Goals from Nikola Milenkovic and Anthony Elanga saw the Reds come from behind to win 2-1 at the City Ground. And the victory took them to fourth in the table with 16 games gone, doing little to quash talk of a potential push for European football this season.
Head coach Nuno remains determined not to get carried away with his team’s lofty position. But he accepted the hosts’ show of character was a “big moment” and more evidence they are holding their own at the top end of the division.
“We are competing against all the teams in the Premier League,” Nuno said. “It's not about that, it's about preparing for the next one, focusing on the task ahead of you and realising that you didn't achieve anything.
“Today is a big moment, let's enjoy it together - all the fans and players. But we know that Brentford next is going to be so tough. We are now trying to work on that; that is what is most important, game by game.
“I think we should enjoy, because they are special moments - the previous game (victory over Manchester United) and today. We want to do it together - us and the fans. Today was very special.”
Jhon Duran had broken the deadlock in a tight affair minutes after Emi Martinez had made an unbelievable save to deny Nicolas Dominguez. Chris Wood thought he had equalised, only for his goal to be ruled out, but Milenkovic and substitute Elanga stepped up for the hosts when it mattered. Nuno said he would give his players an extra day off after their “amazing reaction”.
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“It says a lot about the character, especially after what happened in the game,” he added. “I think it means a lot for Anthony. We have been asking for more actions from him.
“But more than just Anthony, I think it means a lot for the squad to realise and understand that it doesn’t matter if you start or not. It really doesn’t matter. As long as we understand that, I think we can compete because it is about the squad.”
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