Vitor Pereira enjoyed a dream start to life as Nottingham Forest's boss by beating Fenerbahce on Thursday, with Arne Slot and Liverpool heading to the City Ground on Sunday
11:06, 20 Feb 2026
Vitor Pereira
Vitor Pereira made a perfect start to his Nottingham Forest tenure(Image: Getty Images)
Nottingham Forest sent an ominous warning to Liverpool after Vitor Pereira began life as the club's new head coach with an emphatic 3-0 win over Fenerbahce.
The ex-Wolves boss replaced Sean Dyche last week, and Forest’s fourth head coach of the season takes over a side locked in the midst of a tight relegation battle. But the tantalising prospect of Europa League glory is still on offer for the two-time European champions.
Those hopes were certainly boosted by the dominant victory in Turkey on Thursday, against a Fenerbache side that is yet to lose a league match all season. But Murillo got Forest off to the perfect start in the Europa League playoff, as he surged through the middle of Fenerbache and fired past Ederson from outside the box.
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Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus both showed their offensive qualities, combining for the next two goals. The former flicked on for the latter from a late first-half corner, with Jesus nodding in at the back post to set a new record for the most European goals in a season for Forest.
Then Gibbs-White slotted in a third when both he and Jesus sprang clear of the Fenerbache offside trap. It could have been more had the England international converted moments earlier, while Nicolas Dominguez fired over late on when he should really have hit the target.
Pereira couldn’t have hoped for a better start, and the extent of Forest’s domination was underlined by the hosts managing just one shot on target all night, which Stefan Ortega comfortably collected.
Nottingham Forest celebrate scoring a goal
Forest earned a superb victory in Istanbul(Image: Getty Images)
Other than a half-hearted penalty claim when the ball struck Murillo’s hand, there was little for the home fans to get excited about.
In contrast, Forest managed 23 shots and produced an expected goals of 2.74. That it managed those numbers with just 43 percent of possession may alarm Arne Slot ahead of this weekend’s trip to the City Ground.
Liverpool has struggled against sides that typically employ counter-attacks and long balls, and offer a threat from set-pieces.
The early indications suggest that it will be Pereira’s modus operandi, and Slot should be on guard against a side he has yet to beat in three previous Premier League meetings.
Arne Slot has lost two of his previous three meetings against Forest
Arne Slot has lost two of his previous three meetings against Forest(Image: Getty Images)
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Admittedly, the Reds should head to the Midlands feeling more refreshed after a rare midweek off, although Forest is unlikely to rest players on Sunday with next week’s Europa League second leg in mind.
For now, its concern will be the perilous Premier League picture, with the club just three points clear of Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham in 18th. That may have changed again by Sunday, with the Hammers hosting Bournemouth the day prior.
As for sixth-place Liverpool, a win for Brentford on Saturday would see the Reds slip further down the table, while Champions League-chasing rival Chelsea faces a very winnable home game against Burnley.