Nuno Espirito Santo is focused on driving Nottingham Forest to even greater success as they continue to push for a top spot in the Premier League. Forest secured a vital 2-0 victory over Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, inflicting the Bees’ first home loss of the season. Goals from Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga secured their third consecutive win, propelling them up to third in the league standings.
It was an impressive collective effort, with Forest’s defense standing firm throughout the match. One of the key moments came in the second half, when goalkeeper Matz Sels made a crucial save to deny Kristoffer Ajer, ensuring the visitors left with all three points.
Despite the victory, Nuno made it clear that there is still much work to be done. “This performance shows the progress we’re making,” he said. “From the beginning, we’ve known there’s plenty to improve on, and that remains the case. I’m extremely proud of the players; I see their dedication every day. We demand a lot from them because our goal is to compete at the highest level and to get things right. However, this is just the beginning, and we have a long way to go. Our next challenge is a tough one against Tottenham on Boxing Day.”
On the match itself, Nuno praised his team’s maturity in handling Brentford’s strengths, particularly their solid home form and fast starts. “We knew how strong Brentford are, especially early in games, so it was crucial to start well,” he explained. “The team showed maturity in maintaining stability and compactness, which allowed us to take control. In the second half, we were under pressure, but we responded with resilience. We were fortunate with Matz’s save, and after that, we maintained our focus. Although we didn’t create many counter-attacking opportunities due to Brentford’s quality, I’m proud of how we managed the game.”
