Every word Nuno said on Nottingham Forest character, Sels and 'special' atmosphere against Liverpool
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo singled out the performance of goalkeeper Matz Sels as Nottingham Forest claimed a hard-earned 1-1 draw against Liverpool on Tuesday night.
For the best part of an hour at the City Ground, the Reds had looked on course to do the double over Arne Slot’s side. Chris Wood had given the hosts the lead in the eighth minute and a seventh successive Premier League win looked on the cards.
However, Diogo Jota made an immediate impact when he equalised for the visitors just 22 seconds after coming off the bench. Forest then needed some superb saves from Sels to keep them on level terms.
With the spoils shared at the final whistle, the Reds moved up to second place but remained six points behind their table-topping opponents. Below is a look at what Nuno had to say about it all in his post-match press conference.
On the result and performance…
“It was entertaining to watch, especially in the final minutes. First half we were really organised and didn’t allow too many situations. Liverpool had the ball but were not really able to break us. We scored a good goal in the right moment. It was clinical. Two touches and Chris was there.
“Second half, we knew Liverpool would react. Matz Sels was huge for us and kept us in the game. In the final minutes, it was about heart and desire to defend and at the same time go for the attacks. The runs our players made and the support of our fans in added time was really nice to see.
“They scored from a corner. We have been really good at set-pieces. I didn’t see the image, but Diogo is always a threat in the box.”
On being in the mix at the top end of the table…
“We are competing very well. I keep insisting, and this is the approach and the mentality of the squad. It is about playing, competing, improving, realising what are our strengths and our weaknesses and getting to know ourselves better. That can only make us compete in the future in a better way.
“You know what I think about the table. For now, it is not important. It is how we are going to prepare for the next game.”
On taking four points from the games against Liverpool this season…
“We have to give credit to our players when they face such talented opponents and raise the bar and challenge ourselves. It is huge for us.
“We are going to play against everybody. In the end, we will see how many points we have. It is not about that.”
On Sels’ performance…
“He was huge for us. He is in a very good moment. But that also shows some aspects we have to improve - the strengths and the weaknesses I mentioned. Defensively we were OK but we allowed too many contacts inside our box.”
On the Reds’ character…
“It was a lesson for all of us. This is how we want to compete - to the limits of our efforts - and we saw that. I’m very, very proud of the work of the players. There were defensive actions we should reflect on and don’t ever, ever change.”
On Jota’s equaliser…
“I didn’t expect him from a set-piece! I saw Diogo and there was a slight change to Liverpool. We were also about to make a change in that moment. But after that, we settled down. We finished on the ropes but the team worked very well.”
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On the City Ground atmosphere…
“It was very special. The bond the team and the fans are building on this journey we want to share together is very helpful. We cannot thank them enough.”
On being a big club…
“We are a big club, we don’t need anything to prove that. Forest is a big club.
“I think the words from Ryan Yates (in the huddle before kick-off at Anfield when he told his teammates they had to believe Forest are a big club) was a demonstration of the respect they have among themselves and don’t allow anyone to stop believing that we can achieve something nice. This is the best credit.
“When you finish the game and go in the dressing room, always the players are not very fair on their judgement. They were disappointed, but now you look back and say Liverpool had a lot of chances. But just having that feeling shows we are slowly progressing in what we want to become.”
