Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo said the Assistant Referee’s (VAR) decision not to award his side a late equalizer against Aston Villa in the Premier League gave his players “belief” they could win the game.
After denying Chris Wood his 11th goal of the season in the 81st minute, Forest staged an impressive comeback to beat Villa 2-1 at the City Ground with Nikola Milenkovic’s 87th-minute header and Anthony Elanga’s 93rd-minute finish.
“It goes beyond football – it’s about heart, faith, desire!” ❤
Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo on his team’s dramatic comeback against Aston Villa 🗣 pic.twitter.com/6dF9hi4kPI
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2024
“I wasn’t calm,” Santo told BBC Match of the Day after Forest moved above champions Manchester City into fourth in the table.
“I was nervous as hell. I try to focus on the game and the best help I can give the team is to ignore what is happening outside.
“The moment VAR took the goal away from us, instead of letting us down, it gave us the belief that we could go on and do it. After that, it was amazing. We were running everywhere. It was fun, sure, but also stressful.”
“This season, I can do MUCH better!” 💪
Anthony Elanga has his feet on the ground after scoring Nottingham Forest’s dramatic winner against Aston Villa 💬 pic.twitter.com/ptqrkx8T10
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2024
Santo: Forest vs Villa “amazing”
Forest took 22 points from 21 league games between Santo’s appointment in December and the end of last season, finishing just outside the relegation zone.
Their third win in four matches and fourth in five at home means they have taken 28 points from 15 games this time and are three points behind second-placed Chelsea.
Villa started the day on points with Forest and were on course for a fourth straight win when John Duran’s header opened the scoring in the 63rd minute.
Nikola Milenkovic scores a late equalizer for Forest! 💥 pic.twitter.com/cfV2iNoidi
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2024
“The ending was amazing – the faith and the desire,” Santo reflected. “It was very even in the first half. It was well organized by both teams.
“There weren’t too many flaws. We created problems and they did too from set pieces. Then we had a big moment and conceded.”
ANTONI ELANGA SCORES IN INJURY TIME! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/saAjkQETAA
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2024
The forest “has a heart”
“(Coming back) goes beyond football,” Santo added. “It’s not football anymore. It’s about faith. It’s about bouncing back from a tough time and going again when you’re not full of energy but you have heart.
“Thinking about Anthony Elanga coming off the bench (in the 77th minute), it’s also for the players to realize that (when) they don’t start, they can lend a hand at the right times. As long as we can understand that, we can compete very well.”
