Credentials questioned? Not for long. If the true measure of any side is how they handle setbacks, Nottingham Forest delivered a masterclass of a response.
They were brilliant, ruthless and utterly devastating as they swept Brighton and Hove Albion aside. Owner Evangelos Marinakis cheekily stuck out his tongue in delight while chants of “we want eight” rang out around a jubilant City Ground.
The Reds have ticked off plenty of milestone moments this term and here was another one. This was their biggest ever Premier League victory and their biggest top flight win since April 1991, when they dismissed Chelsea by the same scoreline.
It was another special afternoon in what is firmly becoming a very special season. Below, we look at some of the big talking points from Saturday’s stunning 7-0 rout of the Seagulls.
Character shown
Questions were asked when Forest returned from the south coast with tails between legs after their chastening 5-0 thumping at Bournemouth. Pundits debated whether that would be the start of Nuno Espirito Santo’s men dropping off in the fight for European football.
Well, not a bit of it. Saturday was another example of why the Reds are at the top end of the table to stay. They are where they are for a reason, and that is quite simply because they are very good. More than very good, in fact.
Brighton have generally been the standard bearers for getting everything right, both on and off the pitch, in an attempt to challenge the established order. But they were left trailing in the hosts’ wake on the banks of the Trent, and now it is the Reds who are leading the way.
It is Forest’s recruitment efforts that deserve to be talked about. Forest’s managerial appointment working wonders. And Forest being the example of a club completely in step and united in working towards ambitious goals.
After a second-half wobble against Southampton and the capitulation against the Cherries, this was a test of the players’ character. Consider that question well and truly answered – in emphatic fashion. Nuno’s men became just the second side in Premier League history to lose a match by five or more goals and then win their next game by five or more goals.
“Do we want to crumble or do we want to bounce back? That response today showed exactly where we want to be heading,” Morgan Gibbs-White told TNT Sports (via the BBC) when asked about the Reds bouncing back.
To celebrate the success of Nottingham Forest this season, we are writing a series of features celebrating events at the City Ground.
From the finances to the former managers. Looking at how the City is benefitting from what Nuno’s team are doing on the pitch.
We take a deep dive into Evangelos Marinakis and his aspirations for the club – can the Reds match them?
