Vítor Pereira had promised Nottingham Forest would approach this assignment with a “Champions League mentality” and his players did not disappoint him.
A fabulous attacking performance featuring four different scorers (plus an own goal) and a clean sheet not merely succeeded in denting a shell-shocked Sunderland’s European ambitions but also lifted 16th-placed Forest to 39 points.
That is within touching distance of safety and given Pereira’s team are now six points clear of West Ham and eight in front of Tottenham, the struggle to avoid the final relegation place is surely between the London clubs now. A magical evening for Forest fans will have prompted sleepless nights in north and east London.
Hats off to Forest’s fourth manager of the season for having the bravery to field two central strikers in an attacking yet disciplined version of 4-4-2. And to, among others, the excellent Chris Wood, Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Omari Hutchinson for making that system work so effectively.
“I asked my team to play Champions League level and we created a lot of problems for Sunderland,” said Pereira, whose side’s intelligent press and excellent set-piece execution helped extend their unbeaten league run to six games. “We didn’t come here to draw. But we cannot relax. In my opinion we need more points. But our life is in our hands now.”
