Nottingham Forest beat Tottenham 3-0 to boost the club’s aspirations of remaining in the Premier League beyond the end of this season.
Tottenham billed the game as a cup final in North London, but it was Forest who turned up to silence the home side’s party and bolster their own survival chances.
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Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi scored for the Reds as Vitor Pereira’s team leapfrogged Tottenham into 16th place in the Premier League table.
Nottingham Forest head coach Vitor Pereira celebrates after win over Tottenham
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Vitor Pereira wants Nottingham Forest focus
After the game, BBC Radio Nottingham asked Pereira about West Ham, Tottenham and Leeds in the battle against survival in the Premier League.
Forest head coach Pereira isn’t keen on discussing Forest’s relegation rivals, however, and has delivered an emphatic response to such a notion.
He said: “It’s not about anyone else! It’s about us and what we want to be as a team.
“It’s special because I will have time to prepare what I want to prepare for the next round of games.
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“The feeling is we can get points everywhere, home or away, this is what I want us to be. It’s not about Tottenham, it’s not about West Ham, and it’s not about Leeds. It’s about us and what we want to be as a team and what we want to be as players, and what I want to be as a manager.
“I want us to play without fear and with confidence. We want to be organised and to believe.”
Forest now have a three-week break, and this win is massive going into that period, with Pereira getting some solid time on the training ground with the players.
Several members will head off on international break, but for other players, it will be a good chance to rest and get ready for the final seven games of the campaign when domestic action returns.
It’s great to have a head coach who isn’t keen to care too much what other teams are doing, and with Aston Villa, Burnley and Sunderland to play after the international break, Forest once again have a great opportunity to secure Premier League football.
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