Nuno Espírito Santo says the noise and belief generated by the Nottingham Forest supporters was key to the Reds recording a 1-0 win against Manchester United at The City Ground on Tuesday evening.
Anthony Elanga’s solitary strike five minutes into the contest was enough for the three Premier League points in NG2.
After progressing to the semi-finals of the Emirates FA Cup against Brighton & Hove Albion on penalties at the weekend after a gruelling 120 minutes on the south coast, the Reds put in another mammoth effort against the Red Devils in the league.
The Forest Head Coach praised the efforts of his players and the backing of the Forest supporters to help them over the line.
“It was huge for us and for everyone in The City Ground, the clearance was down to them, the noise, the belief they have given us, we can’t thank them enough.
“We have to realise how hard the game was for us, we started very well but after that we lost control a bit and United started to cause some problems.
“Then we had the injury but we adjusted well and started the second half well. We created some good situations but just couldn’t find the final action.
“We started to see the passes were getting away from us and we weren’t winning as many duels, but we adjusted and in the second half we had more control of the game.
“In the end it was about heart and these boys have plenty of it.
“It shows the hard work of the boys and the commitment that they have. Many of our players were on the pitch for 120 minutes at Brighton and they gave it all until the end. We should all be proud of them.
“It was an amazing goal because he (Anthony Elanga) did it all by himself! He has ability and pace to drive with the ball and it was magnificent to see.
“Tomorrow we will recover the players and then we have three days before we play another very good team.”