Every word Nuno said on Tottenham, Elanga and the unsung hero Nottingham Forest 'cannot ignore'
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo is keen for Nottingham Forest to keep riding the wave of momentum after a fourth successive Premier League win.
Anthony Elanga scored for the third consecutive game to clinch a 1-0 triumph for the Reds over Tottenham Hotspur at the City Ground on Boxing Day. But a magnificent defensive display was also required to secure the three points and claim a seventh clean-sheet of the campaign for goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Forest now have a quick turnaround as they make the trip to face Everton on Sunday (3pm kick-off). Below is a look at what Nuno had to say after the final whistle against Spurs.
On the result and performance…
"It was a good performance. We spoke before about the quality in this Spurs team and the fact they score a lot of goals.
“The way we started was nice and brave. We tried to keep tight on the Spurs players, and that gave us an advantage in not allowing them to play. After that, we really went out well in the first half.
“Second half, we started better and created some situations. In the final moments of the game it was about defending and sticking to the result. The belief and the commitment of the players to avoid any kind of danger was good.
“What can I say about the help of the fans at the City Ground? Today was really, really special. It is huge for us that we are now starting to see this bond that makes us stronger.”
On another shut-out…
“That is very important. We cannot ignore that once again Matz made some huge saves to keep us in the game.”
On the winning goal and trying to hit Spurs on the counterattack…
“The plan was to play a perfect game, but that is very difficult - especially against a quality team. We wanted to have the threat.
“We have speed and we have good passers. Not only the finish was beautiful, but the first pass was good. The tempo and the pass from Morgan (Gibbs-White to Elanga) was very good.”
On making progress this season…
“This progress started when we started working together at the beginning of the season. I think we still have things to improve on, even though we are starting to realise that we are now dealing with the momentum of the game better.
“It is about thinking about what the game asks of us and what actions we have to do. It is about realising when we don’t have the ball and are on the ropes, how practical and pragmatic we have to be to get out of that situation. And it is about reading the moments when we have possession, keep it and allow ourselves to organise and not be up and down. We are improving on that aspect, and we are delighted.”
On flying high in the table…
“The table doesn’t mean anything. What is significant for us is what we felt today - the City Ground fans singing as they left. This is what is beautiful for us, that they can go out in the city and enjoy this moment.
On whether this can be a special season…
“The belief is here. But the belief doesn’t hide the reality, and the reality says we haven’t achieved anything yet. We have two days to recover, rest and compete against Everton - this is the reality.
“The fans should enjoy. Let’s enjoy this together.
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On having momentum…
“We believe that we can compete, as long as everybody understands that every player in the squad is huge for us. We believe we can compete well.”
On Elanga scoring for a third successive game…
“You can see his confidence in every action. Especially for the offensive players - the wingers, offensive midfielders and strikers - it is up and down in the season. We have to realise the momentum for each one of them.
“Anthony is in a good moment now. We want to exploit every single minute of it.”
