A remarkable, incredible season for Nottingham Forest shows no signs of stopping any time soon - and you wouldn’t bet against it getting even better.
This time it was Callum Hudson-Odoi who led the post-match victory fist-pumps in front of the away end at Brentford after a 2-0 Forest success had ended the hosts' unbeaten home record. By that point, some of the players looked spent through sheer exhaustion after putting in a mammoth shift. But they still found some reserves of energy to dance on the pitch in celebration as they were serenaded by the Reds fans.
This resilient, resolute and utterly brilliant Forest side will spend Christmas sitting resplendent in the Premier League’s top four. Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo might be keen to keep feet on the ground, but the Reds’ European credentials are becoming impossible to ignore.
In becoming the first team to beat Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium this season, they added to a collection of impressive away results. Sarah Clapson takes a look at some of the big talking points from Forest’s latest success in the capital...
Defensive resolve
Not only did the Reds inflict a first home defeat of the season on the Bees, they also became the first side to prevent Thomas Frank’s team from scoring on their own turf this term. And it was all down to a superb defensive display.
Forest were rock-solid. Although things were a little shaky to begin with, the decision to start with three at the back proved a masterstroke by Nuno. It didn’t just make the visitors almost unbreachable, it also allowed wing-backs Neco Williams and Ola Aina to get forward - and that showed as the duo combined for the latter to bag the opener.
Matz Sels is having quite the season - arguably as good as that of striker Chris Wood - and was rewarded with a special chant from the away end. The Belgian goalkeeper made some smart stops early on, then weighed in with one of the saves of the season to deny Kristoffer Ajer in the second half and clinch a sixth clean-sheet of the campaign.
But it was the combination of the three centre halves that really stood out. Murillo, in particular, was imperious in every aspect of his game and will have added several million to his price tag with that display. It was arguably his best showing to date, which is saying something.
Morato overcame a few early nerves to settle on his first start and Nikola Milenkovic was as commanding as ever. Whether to stick with that system now the dilemma for Nuno, but deploying it certainly paid off on Saturday.
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Premier League
Excellent Elanga
A few weeks ago, Anthony Elanga looked out of sorts. Having set such high standards last term, he was finding it tough to hit the same kind of heights this time around amid a mixed start to the campaign.
Getting on the scoresheet against Aston Villa last weekend looks to have done him the world of good. He looks full of confidence again and is now back to the player he was a year ago.
The winger made it two goals in as many games with a lovely composed finish after pinching the ball off Keane Lewis-Potter’s toes. And he revealed afterwards how he has been taking tips from former England forward Jermain Defoe.
“I got a nice message from Jermain Defoe. It’s about getting in the box, I want to get myself in areas to score,” he told Match of the Day. "It’s in the box where you score the most goals.
“I work on that in training, where you build muscle memory. You work on it in training and I want to do that in games as well.”
Forest are showing they don’t just rely on Wood to find the back of the net. The New Zealander hasn’t scored in the last two games but the Reds have still managed to score four goals, with two apiece against Villa and Brentford.
“Most of the players were on the floor at the end,” Elanga added (via the BBC). “It’s difficult to come here. It wasn’t easy to get three points, but it was important to get them and now we just need to keep going.
“It’s just important to get myself in the box and into areas where I can score. I just want to keep clicking and being consistent in what I do.”
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Happy travels
Nuno argued Brentford’s punishing schedule of a three-game week - including a midweek trip to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup - might have played into his team’s hands. But that should not detract from how the visitors did a job on their opponents.
The Reds have been excellent on the road this term. They made the trip with nothing to fear and were composed and confident.
Saturday’s result added to notable ones away to Liverpool, Chelsea, Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester United. Forest have now picked up as many away wins in the league this season (five) as in the whole of the previous two campaigns combined.
Nuno wants his side to have several strings to their bow, so he will take great delight that the players have shown they can comfortably adapt to different formations and roles. Morgan Gibbs-White, for example, excelled playing deeper on this occasion.
Keep dreaming
Coming a day after he marked his one-year anniversary at the City Ground, this result encapsulated how Forest have progressed under Nuno. It epitomised the kind of team they have become under his stewardship - disciplined and organised but also dangerous in attack. They have a strong spine yet are imbued with quality across the pitch - a testament to some excellent recruitment.
“It’s a bit of a dream (to be in the top four). It’s good to get the three points and good for the fans. They deserve it as well,” Aina told PLP (via the BBC).
“We’re working well as a group. (The manager) has his philosophy and he’s brought that into the club. When he arrived it was a bit touch and go, but we’ve got the group now and we feel at ease.”
“If you believe, we believe,” Gibbs-White posted on social media. And belief is undoubtedly growing among those of a Forest persuasion.
The Reds have responded well to that mini blip of three defeats in four to record three Premier League wins in a row for the second time this term. With 31 points to their name after 17 games, Forest are closing in on the magic 40 marker they have set as an initial target. They are also two points better off at this stage than the last time they qualified for Europe, in the Uefa Cup in 1994/95. A second year of Nuno is now up and running, and it has the potential to be a good one.
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