Full-time in the capital was met with an almighty roar from the away end. There was no getting away from the importance of this result for Nottingham Forest.to
The fans knew it, Nuno Espirito Santo knew it and the players knew it. The final whistle was almost like a release; a realisation, too, that the fight is not over.
The Reds have been flagging a little in recent weeks. Prior to Sunday’s 2-1 triumph over West Ham United, they were on a run of one win in six Premier League games.
In the final minutes against the Hammers, it was tense as an exhilarating and gripping affair played on and on. Forest have another 90 minutes of such nerve-shredding, adrenaline-inducing torture still to come - but they will absolutely take that.
Their Champions League dream remains alive going into the final day of the season. Now, one more game. One last big showdown. One final push to determine their fate. And it will take place at the City Ground.
Nuno’s side are still in this battle. It isn’t all in their own hands - they do need others to slip up - but they have a chance. Below, NottinghamshireLive looks at some of the big talking points from the game at the London Stadium.
Emotional week
Head coach Nuno's final message to his players before they took to the pitch on Sunday was “to do it for Taiwo”. The Reds didn't need any extra motivation, but uniting in support of their stricken teammate does seem to have galvanised them - right at the moment when their campaign was in danger of fizzling out.
Understandably, it had been a difficult week. Preparations for the trip south had not been particularly easy, with everyone at the City Ground preoccupied with concern for seriously-injured striker Taiwo Awoniyi.
Awoniyi is still recovering from the abdominal injury he sustained against Leicester City which required two operations and him being placed in an induced coma. It is hoped he will be well enough to attend the final-day clash with Chelsea, but Forest showed they were thinking of him in the meantime.
For their warm-up, the players wore T-shirts with the message: “We’re all with you Taiwo.” After he had opened the scoring, Morgan Gibbs-White paid his own tribute by raising the forward’s shirt aloft and kissing it.
The travelling supporters had already sung Awoniyi’s name loudly, and they did so again at the end after three big points had been secured. As one, the players stood in front of the Reds fans and held up their teammate’s jersey.
It was an emotional moment, and also a show of unity. Team spirit has, after all, been at the heart of Forest’s season. At such a crucial juncture, and with one of their own unable to be there, the Reds demonstrated they are as together as ever.
Stepping up
This was more like it from Forest. More like the kind of performance they have put in for much of this utterly brilliant campaign.
In previous games, they had looked edgy. The defensive solidity on which they have built their top-five charge had gone AWOL and mistakes had crept in. They had lost their potency going forward, too.
But on Sunday, they were much more like their old selves. Key players stepped up and delivered some incredible displays. “Today, some of them were phenomenal. Phenomenal,” Nuno said afterwards. He wasn’t wrong.
Gibbs-White was at his mercurial best and took the game by the scruff of the neck from the start. Nicolas Dominguez never stopped running in midfield and Ibrahim Sangare was a model of composure alongside him.
At the back, Murillo somehow shook off an ankle problem that had looked like it might end his season when he was driven off on a medical cart at half-time. Defensive partner Nikola Milenkovic bagged his fifth goal of the campaign to double his team’s lead on the hour mark.
Behind the duo was Matz Sels. As he has been almost from day one this term, the Belgian was sensational. The only frustration would be that he didn’t claim another clean-sheet to give him the edge in the race for the golden glove.
Nuno referred to the result and the performance as a timely confidence booster for his side. Forest will need their big performers to step up one more time at the weekend.
Get breaking Forest news sent direct to your phone
Join our Nottingham Forest WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click here and select ‘Join Community’ to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from the NottinghamshireLive Reds writers.
We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Reds stories. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click 'Exit Group'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you are curious, you can click here to read our Privacy Notice.
Test of character
When Jarrod Bowen reduced the deficit in the 86th minute, suddenly there was a risk of nerves starting to jangle among the travelling contingent. After all, only a week earlier they had let slip a winning position to draw 2-2 with the relegated Foxes.
West Ham, playing their final home game of the campaign, sensed an opportunity. They began to throw plenty at their opponents, even sending up keeper Alphonse Areola for a corner at the death. Sels had to make another brilliant save, this time to deny Niclas Fullkrug what would have been a last-ditch equaliser.
By that point, the game had already long since passed the 100th minute mark. It lasted for a whopping 112 minutes and 55 seconds in total - the second-longest game of the season in the Premier League.
The lengthy stoppage was in part due to the farcical situation surrounding VAR when Milenkovic scored. It took six minutes for the call to come that the goal should stand, following a check for a potential offside. Boos had echoed around the stadium as both sets of fans expressed their frustration at the ridiculous length of time taken.
Referee Sam Barrott had even made his way over to both managers to explain the delay. The semi-automated offside technology was unavailable in this particular instance and there was a problem with the communication between VAR and the on-pitch officials. "They were drawing lines, and I think they ran out of ink,” Hammers boss Graham Potter quipped.
It all added to a test of nerves and of character for Forest. That they came through it should stand them in good test for the final day.
Get your special Nottingham Forest in Europe souvenir edition
We have produced a special 48-page edition of the Nottingham Post celebrating the club’s two European Cup wins.
Nottingham Forest are flying high in the Premier League and Reds fans are dreaming of a return to European competition. It has been an outstanding campaign for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, who are on course for a place in the Champions League next season. And Forest supporters can whet their appetite for a possible return to football’s top tier on the continent with our 48-page special edition celebrating the club’s two European Cup wins.
undefined
Buy now and have it delivered directly to your door. Alternatively you can purchase in most supermarkets, high street retailers and independent newsagents in Nottinghamshire from April, 2 2025.
For online order postage and packaging applies, orders will be posted from April 2, 2025.
One more to go…
So then, on to the City Ground. A potential Champions League decider with Chelsea.
Asked if he would have taken such a scenario before a ball had been kicked this season, Nuno joked: “I would sign it! I would sign it! I would have signed up for that, of course.”
The Portuguese admitted his team are battered and bruised. They are weary and they have been feeling the pressure.
Against Chelsea, given they need other results to go their way to finish in the top five, they will still be seen as the underdogs in the race for Europe’s elite. And perhaps that will suit them. Nuno wants Forest to enjoy the moment, rather than feel shackled by the burden of expectation.
“More than nerves, we really have to take the chance for us to enjoy the moment,” he said. “The players do much better when they release themselves from this perception and they focus on their tasks.”
The Reds showed their spirit in the capital. They showed why they have spent much of this term competing at the top end of the table. Nuno’s troops remembered who they are.
It all comes down to the final day. Forest go into it with a chance.
Where will Forest finish in the table? Click HERE to have your say