1 week Ago By [email protected] (Joe Thomas)
Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo was happy to concede Everton troubled his Champions League-chasing side Nuno Espirito Santo was left hurting after Nottingham Forest's defeat to Everton but showed his class by extending praise to David Moyes ’ side. Forest boss conceded he was disappointed and that there was frustration in his dressing room after Abdoulaye Doucoure’s stoppage time winner at the City Ground. It was a goal that threatened to derail Forest's quest for Champions League football, allowing the chasing pack to make in-roads into their position with Aston Villa and Manchester City both gaining three points on them.
But for all that Forest have impressed in their run to third place, where they still sit after Saturday’s defeat, few left the stadium believing Everton did not deserve the win. Nuno was among them. After the game, he told Sky Sports: “We were not comfortable.
Everton were dominant, they created a lot of problems to us. “There was only one moment in the second half that we were able to settle down and create something, half chances not clear chances. “But in the end when you cannot win at least you have to keep what you have, especially from an offensive corner, but we got unbalanced and allowed Everton to score.
” The crucial goal came with Forest pushing for a late winner. But after committing players forward they were left exposed when Dwight McNeil snatched the ball from Murillo on the halfway line before feeding Abdoulaye Doucoure for winner. The goal gave the Blues a win their performance deserved .
It was a stark contrast to the reverse fixture just before new year, when Forest won 2-0 at Goodison Park and did not concede a shot on goal until the 82nd minute. When asked by the ECHO whether Everton had changed since what had appeared to be a comfortable win at the end of 2024, Nuno said: “No, we did not win comfortably [at Goodison]. There is no match in the Premier League that you win comfortably, that is a lie.
“The quality of the players of Everton is there, they are improving, they are intense, they are aggressive, so we have to credit them for their game today.”.
