Nuno Espirito Santo emphasized the importance of taking the positives as soon as the “grief and bad humor disappear”, after Nottingham Forest was struck by Manchester City in the semi -final of FA Cup.
The tricky trees went after Rico Lewis' strike in Wembley within two minutes, and were against it when Josko Gvardiol was header in a second half.
But the resting replacement Anthony Elanga missed a minute after the rise and just before the goal of Gvardiol, while Morgan Gibbs-White hit the woodwork twice and Taiwo Awoniyi also hit the mail.
Asked by ITV how his side could not score, Nuno pointed to Gibbs-White and said jokes: “Ask him!”
He added: “No, but Anthony also has a good chance. We are there. It is important to build on it and to take the positives after the grief and the bad humor have left. It helps us in the future.”
There was a little surprise that Elanga was not chosen to start the game, especially given the immediate impact he almost offered after a first half in which Forest did not collect any shot.
Asked about that decision, Nuno said: “We had many situations to decide. It was not an easy week to put together a team.
“We had a game plan, everything changed after the goal we admitted, the way we responded was really positive.”
Our @emiratesfacup campaign is coming to an end. pic.twitter.com/10Qeiraht0
– Nottingham Forest (@nffc) 27 April 2025
Forest Exit The edition of this season with only one victory in the regulation time of five games (three drawn, one lost), after he came from the previous three rounds all via penalty shoot-outs (against Exeter, Ipswich and Brighton).
But the efforts that touch the woodwork of Gibbs-White can leave the forest with a feeling of 'what if?', Although the first extreme was bad luck after a professionally affected volley.
The second, however, saw him around Stefan Ortega and hit the pole when he expected to score.
Gibbs-White apologized and said: “It is devastating. I feel sorry for the fans. I keep my hands up and apologize. I should have scored at least one [chances].
'I have never beaten a ball so sweetly on my weakness in my life [for the first chance]. As soon as that hit the bar, I knew it would not be our day.
“I should score it [second chance]. I go around the keeper and when I score, it gives everyone in the stadium energy to try to go again.
“Although we were 2-0 lower, we showed resilience and kept fighting. That's the most important thing.”