Nuno Espirito Santo says his Nottingham Forest players have every reason to feel proud of their position in the Premier League, but insists they have not achieved anything yet.
Forest produced an impressive 2-0 win at Brentford to maintain their place in the top four, as they became the first team this season to beat the Bees at home and to stop them scoring.
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The result sent Forest temporarily to third before Arsenal's win at Crystal Palace returned them to fourth, with 31 points after 17 matches.
It’s the earliest they’ve hit the 30-point mark in a top-flight season since finishing third in 1987/88, when they did so in their 14th game.
It was also their fifth away win of the season, as many as they had claimed in the previous two seasons combined, and their ninth win overall, matching their totals from each of the past two seasons.
Nottingham Forest already have as many wins as they managed in each of their past two seasons…
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 21, 2024
In fewer than half the matches! 👏 pic.twitter.com/8jpgzRwnD8
It was reward for the work his team had done in training, the head coach said.
"I think we competed really well," Nuno said. "We work very hard every day, so the boys should be happy and proud.
"We've been working well. The beginning was hard. We were able to solve a lot of problems that we had last season. It's about this journey together. Every day is important in improving the team.
"We're very proud of all the things we've been able to achieve, but we've achieved nothing yet," he added. "It’s a very hard competition. Every game is so difficult and the next one is going to be very tough."
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
15 | +18 | 36 |
| 2 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
16 | +18 | 34 |
| 3 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
17 | +18 | 33 |
| 4 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
17 | +4 | 31 |
| 5 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
17 | 0 | 28 |
| 6 |
Man City
MCI
|
17 | +4 | 27 |
Reflecting on the performance, Nuno acknowledged the challenge posed by Brentford, particularly in the second half, but was pleased with how his side handled the pressure.
"It was a good game, a tough game. We knew how hard it was going to be. We had to change [our approach] and the boys did well. It was about holding the result," Nuno added.
"We’re improving, becoming more mature in terms of control. Overall it was a good performance. Until the last minute it was about keeping the clean sheet. That save from Matz Sels [from Kristoffer Ajer] was huge for us.
"The fans are happy. Now we go back to Nottingham and prepare for our next game. It’s about enjoying the moment."
