Nuno Espirito Santo urged his Nottingham Forest players to focus on the positives from their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. Although the result was disappointing, Nuno chose to highlight areas where his team showed promise, emphasizing that the experience would aid their growth moving forward.
A significant turning point in the match came just before the half-hour mark, when Chris Wood failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity to equalize following Bernardo Silva’s early goal. City quickly extended their advantage through Kevin De Bruyne, and Jeremy Doku added a third after the break, making it nearly impossible for Forest to mount a comeback.
Despite the loss, Nuno reflected on the game with a constructive outlook, stating, “It might sound strange to say it was a good performance after a 3-0 loss, but we did have positive moments. There were mistakes, of course, but we went into the game knowing the challenges City would present. We pressed high and created chances. We didn’t convert, but we can be proud of our effort. This will be valuable for our development.”
Nuno acknowledged the importance of Wood’s missed chance: “That moment was significant, though it didn’t determine the entire game. It was definitely a key moment.”
He also spoke about the difficulty of facing City, particularly the influence of De Bruyne: “City has top-quality players all over the pitch. De Bruyne is one of the best, and it’s extremely difficult to deal with him. It requires a collective effort to manage players like that. We knew we had a tough task ahead, but we took it on. Losing is part of football, but we challenged ourselves, and that’s something we can carry into future matches.”
Despite the defeat, Nuno saw merit in Forest’s attacking play: “It’s not easy to create chances at City. We regained possession in key areas and played well, especially at the start of the second half. Even when we were 2-0 down, we kept pressing, controlled the game, and created opportunities. However, once the third goal went in, it became much harder.”
On the substitution of Ryan Yates at half-time, Nuno explained it was a tactical decision, adding that Yates was fine and it wasn’t related to any injury concerns.
