NOTTINGHAM, England — Every Nottingham Forest fan will have had a moment during this remarkable season when they wondered whether reaching the Champions League was really possible.
Maybe the optimists began to believe as early as September after beating Liverpool at Anfield. Perhaps it was the draw with Arne Slot’s champions-elect at the City Ground in January. It could have been after the 7-0 demolition of Brighton a couple of weeks later.
For the majority, though, this will be remembered as the day.
A 1-0 win over reigning champions Manchester City in the Nottingham sunshine was hard-fought and tight, but not undeserved. The day that blind faith became genuine hope. Nuno Espirito Santo’s team could have ended the weekend in fifth if results had not gone their way. Instead, after Callum Hudson-Odoi‘s late winner against City, they’re third and 10 games away from returning to Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since the 1980-81 season.
The dream is alive for the supporters who streamed out of the stadium hugging and high-fiving. But if Nuno has started to believe he’s not telling anyone.
“Now Ipswich [the next game],” he said, when asked about the prospect of Champions League football at the City Ground next season. “It was a tough week for us. Thank God the players are healthy and we prepare for the next one.
“It doesn’t change anything. It’s about the focus. Let’s enjoy the journey together. Our fans are helping us so keep on enjoying it. It’s important for our fans to realise we can compete with the best teams. Of course, we are proud. Let’s enjoy the journey together.”
Whatever happens to Forest over the next three months it will still be a season to be remembered. Ten years ago this week, they were losing to Charlton Athletic in the Championship on their way to a 14th-place finish in the second tier. After the international break, they’ll play an FA Cup quarterfinal against Brighton with the chance to book a first semifinal appearance since reaching the final in 1991.
Tipped for relegation from the Premier League ahead of this season, they are now within sight of securing a return to European competition for the first time in nearly three decades. But after beating City they won’t be thinking about the UEFA Europa League or Conference League. Given England’s strong position in UEFA’s coefficient table, a top-five finish should be good enough to earn a place in the Champions League. Third-placed Forest are in pole position, particularly ahead of a run-in which will see them face just two of the league’s current top 10.
The joy and celebration around Forest’s season — captured in the celebrations after full-time — is in stark contrast to the mood around City’s campaign.
Pep Guardiola’s side looked more stable with €60 million January signing Nico Gonzalez sat in front of the back four. But chances were few and far between, and when they did arrive, City failed to capitalise.
Erling Haaland scuffed past the post in the first half and Gonzalez fizzed another effort just wide. Kevin De Bruyne, on as a second-half substitute, had a late sight of goal with the game still at 0-0 but clipped his shot high and wide.
Other than that, it was a sterile City performance with only three of their 14 shots hitting the target. Like Forest, they’re also battling for a place in the Champions League and sit fourth.
“We have to play better,” Guardiola said. “We have to do something; it will not come from the sky. To create actions, we have to do the process quicker and better. We were a little slow in our process.
“We struggled to make chances, but I always give credit to the opponent because they defended really well. Our game was a little bit slow. We couldn’t make contact with the final third and when we arrived in the final third we didn’t have the brilliance.”
Forest were compact and organised at the back and tried again and again to spring into action with the pace Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga when the ball turned over. It looked like Nuno had settled for a point when he replaced Elanga with Ibrahim Sangaré 10 minutes from time. Just three minutes later, Morgan Gibbs-White sprayed a reaching pass out to Hudson-Odoi and he ran at Josko Gvardiol before sneaking his finish inside the near post.
“When the game became stretched, like basketball, that was good for us,” Nuno said. “We are happy, very happy. It was a very good game against a very tough team. I’m proud and happy. We are talking about one of the best teams around. It always gives you the confidence that you can compete against the best players. The premier league is very tough. It’s very difficult to stop City. They create so many pockets, they are always going to create chances.”
As the two teams walked out before kickoff, there was a banner in the Trent End that read: “Our time has come again.”
Forest’s dip since being crowned champions of Europe in 1979 and 1980 has taken them to English football’s third tier and back again. It’s been a long time since Europe’s biggest clubs have had the City Ground on their list of destinations.
The last step of Forest’s rebirth would be making it back to Europe’s top table. By beating City, they gave notice that they’re on their way.
