Nottingham Forest are not discussing the possibility of winning the Premier League title despite a hard-fought draw against league leaders Liverpool, says goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Forest looked set for a memorable double against Arne Slot's Reds when Chris Wood gave them an eight-minute lead at a lively City Ground.
However, Diogo Jota equalized just 22 seconds after coming on as a second-half substitute as Liverpool remained six points ahead of Forest, who now sit second, with the leaders still having a game in hand.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side were widely expected to be locked in a relegation battle at the start of the season, but goalkeeper Sels says they can now afford to set new targets.
“We are not talking about this. We want to finish as high as possible in the competition,” he told TNT Sports.
“A lot of people said before the season that we would be fighting relegation, so we have to enjoy the good momentum we are in. We are taking it one game at a time.
“We said before the season that if we could get 40 points as quickly as possible that would be great, and we are now on 41 with 17 games to go.
“We can now aim a little higher and see where we end up at the end of the season.”
Sels made three fantastic saves in the closing stages to deny Jota, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo as Forest extended their unbeaten run to eight games in all competitions.
Asked about Sels' performance by TNT Sports, Nuno said: “He was great. Matz kept us in the game with some huge saves. We are very proud. He is at a good time.”
“He has kept us in games many times. That shows how good he is. It also shows that we have to perform better in our defensive actions.”
Sels' 63 saves in the Premier League this season are the fifth most of any goalkeeper in the competition, while he also has a save percentage of 75.9% – the best of any regular starter between the sticks.
Nuno was also asked if Forest saw themselves as possible title contenders, but he was just happy to see them prove they could compete with the best in the league.
“It shows a lot for the way the players are committed,” he explained. “To see them disappointed after the game is a good sign.
“We have to be fair in the game. Liverpool are very good, they had some good chances and are a great team.
“The fact that we can compete and challenge them shows that we want to progress and keep going.”
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