Forest went ‘back to basics’ against Arsenal to keep Champions League dream alive

Nuno Espirito Santo emphasized the importance of Nottingham Forest that went back to the base in their scoreless draw with Arsenal on the city.

Forest collided after back-to-back defeats for Fulham and Newcastle United in the Premier League, which endangers their hope for a top-four finish.

But they were able to hold a point against the Gunners, who for the first time since May 2023 do not score in successive top matches.

The hosts ended the collision with an expected goals (XG) total of only 0.37, where Nicolas Dominguez and Chris Wood shot their only shots on goal in a game of few opportunities.

Indeed, Forest attracted 0-0 in the Premier League for the first time since October 2023.

Under the current Premier League clubs, only Tottenham (107) was on a longer running run in the top flight without a scoreless draw for this round of luminaires.

Nuno's side remains third in the rankings, with Manchester City an end to them after their victory over Tottenham. The citizens are also the following opponents of Forest in the competition.

Forest was also able to maintain an 11th clean sheet of the season, whereby only Liverpool (12) manage more, a foundation that helped their stunning increase this period.

And Nuno called that an improvement in defense was crucial.

“I am very happy with the way we did things, the way we played against Arsenal,” Nuno told BBC Sport.

“It is very difficult to play against them. They are a very good team. It requires a lot of effort. We were solid and compact. A very positive game.

“After this period we admitted too many goals, so it was important to go back to basics – solid, clean leaf. We had a few moments to do better.

“But in terms of the game, positive, because it was very important to go back to the team that we are, which enables us to be successful.

“They have danger everywhere. Set pieces are some of them. It requires focus. The boys did well. We prepared it.

“This is one of the most important messages, especially the feeling of being a team that do not admit too many opportunities, always in the right places, organized, balanced.

“We have to enjoy the journey and realize that it is not always possible to go with a victory. They saw a good team, a team that competed very well.”

Opta's supercomputer hands Bos a 39% chance of ending in the top four, although a top five finish could be good enough this season to guarantee the qualification of Champions League.

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