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Nuno Espírito Santo admitted he was disappointed with the result but expressed his pride in his Nottingham Forest players’ performances against Manchester City in the Emirates FA Cup semi-final.
Goals from Rico Lewis and Joško Gvardiol ended Forest’s run in the competition, despite the Reds striking the woodwork three times in the second half as they looked for a way back into the game.
The Reds were backed by over 35,000 supporters packed into the national stadium in what was the club’s first FA Cup semi-final since 1991 on another memorable day this season.
Nuno says the players will be disappointed this evening, but tomorrow attentions turn back to the Premier League campaign with plenty to play for in the final five fixtures.
“We are disappointed, but at the same time, proud that our fans stayed at the end to give us the applause.
“The hard work was there from the boys, the commitment was there, the desire to proceed and go through was there.
“This evening is going to be tough on us but when we wake up tomorrow we know we’ll still have five big games to fight for.
“We usually start better but it made things harder. The reaction was good, we realised what City were trying to do, our organisation improved and we created a lot of chances.
“It was fine margins today, the momentum changed completely in the second half and we have to give ourselves credit because it’s not easy to play against City; how well they keep the ball and open the space.
“But the boys gave their all. One goal could have changed everything, even in the final minutes we believed the chance would come and give us an opportunity to draw.
“I’m positive we can adjust these fine margins on Thursday.
“It was emotional to play in front of 35,000 fans, even in defeat it makes us proud. We have so many things to fight for and Thursday they will be there again so all we can do is thank them.”