'Crazy' scenes, X-rated interview, Nuno spotted - how Nottingham Forest celebrated incredible win
Just how significant was Nottingham Forest’s magnificent 1-0 win at Liverpool? The reactions said it all. A party in the away end. A “crazy” dressing room. A player dropping an expletive in one post-match interview. And Nuno Espirito Santo apparently hitting the town once back at base.
Saturday was a landmark result for the Reds, and not just in an historical sense. It was a first victory at Anfield since 1969 - but it was also notable for what it means in the here and now, and for the future. This season is all about making progress for Forest. This win shows they mean business.
It wasn’t a fluke, either. Sure, there was a bit of good fortune involved. But there was also an incredible amount of hard graft. The game-plan was devised and executed to perfection.
Three points were well deserved and well earned - despite what some members of the opposition camp might say. This was Forest proving they really are a proper Premier League team now.
With that in mind, Sarah Clapson has taken a look at some of the big talking points from a momentous game...
Forward steps
“A nice step,” was how Nuno described Saturday’s result. But his reaction in the aftermath of the final whistle was telling as it summed up the mentality he wants in the squad.
"You cannot relax," he told BBC Nottingham. "You enjoy it for a while and then believe that you can do it again - and it's going to be even harder. This is the way to progress and improve. We are in that process. We are trying to build, and then we will become a better team."
The Reds already are a better team. Now in their third successive year in the Premier League, they have made great strides in that time. And this term has the makings of representing their biggest forward steps yet.
The performance, as well as the result, at Anfield illustrated the progress they are making and have already made. Forest were competitive. They were good value for the three points. They now properly look like they belong at this level.
The away form issue has surely been put to bed now, too. This was a fourth consecutive Premier League win on the road for Nuno’s men - the first time the Reds have managed that since 1995.
The surge of belief from ending Arne Slot’s 100 percent start to the campaign will only help the team develop further. Indeed, it is difficult to overstate quite how important Saturday can be.
Time to celebrate
Before kick-off, just as they had done at Southampton, the visitors gathered in front of their fans for a pre-match huddle. Come full-time they made their way over to the away end again - this time in greater numbers - to acknowledge a jubilant travelling support.
By that time, the home crowd had largely cleared out. The Reds contingent, though, stayed long after the whistle had gone, with some still there serenading those players going through their warm-down.
Nuno said he hoped the fans’ celebrations would last all week long - after all, they had been waiting 55 years for this moment. But he insisted for the staff, it would be straight back down to business.
With music booming out from the away changing room as he conducted his interview for Match of the Day, the Portuguese was asked if he had taken charge of the play-list. Nuno grinned as he denied being club DJ, then added: "Now is the moment to celebrate. But me and the coaching staff, we start immediately thinking about Brighton.”
Perhaps he did allow himself to enjoy the moment to some extent, though. Some fans posted on social media saying he had been spotted out in West Bridgford on Saturday night. If he did partake in the odd beverage, it would have been well deserved.
Nuno’s players delighted in their achievement, too. Morgan Gibbs-White was on the touchline waiting for the final whistle with baited breath, then immediately embraced his manager when it went. There was dancing in the dressing room when goalscorer Callum Hudson-Odoi was met by goal-maker Anthony Elanga after finishing his media duties, with the former describing the scenes as “crazy”.
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Tactical masterclass
Nuno got his tactics spot on at Anfield. And his team carried them out to the letter. They frustrated their opponents, shutting them out and taking the sting out of their forward threat.
To do so required a monumental team effort. From back to front, starters to substitutes, all put a heck of a shift in.
The back four of Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo and Alex Moreno deserve special praise. As a unit and as individuals, they were magnificent. Neco Williams might feel hard done by, but that could well be Forest’s first-choice defence going forward.
The starting line-up wasn’t without a few surprises. Nuno delved into his midfield resources, with Ryan Yates, James Ward-Prowse, Nicolas Dominguez and Elliot Anderson all in the team. They did a terrific job of protecting those behind them and stifling the hosts.
Yates admitted his heart was in his mouth when he nearly paid the price for being caught out by Luis Diaz early on. “You forget how quick and nimble the players are, “ he said afterwards. "I had three or four moments in the second half and there was no messing! You need that luck, luckily I got it.”
But the Reds caused their own problems, too. They put together some lovely passages of play, including for the goal.
Gibbs-White urged Elanga forward when he picked up the ball and started charging down the right. The crossfield pass to Hudson-Odoi was a beauty, and then the finish was a wonderful trademark strike from the former Chelsea man. In his own words, he “let rip” after telling himself it was “go time” as soon as the ball came over.
Yates hailed Nuno’s timing for bringing on the substitutes. Standing alongside Hudson-Odoi for an interview with Australian outlet Optus Sport, he said: "We stuck to the game plan brilliantly. The manager made subs at the perfect time and made the f******* impact didn't it.”
The midfielder quickly apologised for his choice of language before collapsing into a fit of giggles. It summed up quite a day!
Strength in depth
Both Elanga and Hudson-Odoi had started the game on the bench. That says a lot about the strength in depth Forest now have in the squad. They can name a strong XI and still have players who can come on and make an impact. Williams, Jota Silva and Morato also played their part in cameo appearances.
The latter was making his debut and will have benefitted from getting a taste of the action. Fellow deadline-day arrival Ward-Prowse was in from the start and looked right at home. The injury to Ibrahim Sangare is a blow, especially as the Reds were already without long-term absentee Danilo, but Nuno should still have sufficient midfield options to cope.
The signing of Ward-Prowse before the window closed capped a very good transfer window for the club. They have done some excellent business, and that has already told on the pitch.
Ward-Prowse will have to go some to compete with Anderson and Milenkovic for the title of signing of the summer, though. Both have been superb, and were again at Anfield. Milenkovic let out an almighty roar once it was all over. A shout out, too, to Moreno, who handled Mo Salah expertly for quite the debut Premier League for the Reds.
Saturday’s win was magnificent in its own right. But even more so as a potential indicator for what could be to come between now and May.