Nuno Espirito Santo says what he thought about the atmosphere at the City Ground during Nottingham Forest’s win over Tottenham

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Nuno Espirito Santo guided Nottingham Forest to a Boxing Day triumph over Tottenham, extending their run of consecutive victories to four in the process.

Forest beat Tottenham 1-0 thanks to a deft finish from Anthony Elanga, lifting Espirito Santo’s side to third in the Premier League table and creating some breathing room in the race for European football.

It wasn’t a particularly festive experience for some, as Brennan Johnson was criticised by Spurs fans after his difficult return to the City Ground.

His afternoon wasn’t helped by Forest’s impenetrable defence, as Matz Sels discussed his save against Johnson whilst Patrick Rowe praised Murillo for his stunning performance in the Forest backline.

Despite all of this, though, Espirito Santo was more keen to praise the Nottingham Forest fans for their role in the Boxing Day victory as he commented on the City Ground atmosphere against Spurs.

Nuno Espirito Santo praised the City Ground atmosphere

Speaking to the press after the game, the Forest manager made it clear how much the crowd impacted his side’s performance against Spurs.

Espirito Santo said: “What can I say about the help of the fans at the City Ground? Today was really, really special. It’s huge for us that now we’re starting to see this bond amongst themselves and among us that makes us stronger.”

Espirito Santo praised his side’s bond with the Forest fans in the buildup to Forest’s win over Brentford and it was on full display again as the fans in the City Ground were given the perfect Christmas gift in another three points.

Forest fans mocked Ange Postecoglou as well as serenading their Forest squad, a team that has delighted them throughout the season with their tremendous home form.

Nottingham Forest have been brilliant at home this season

December brought Forest a difficult set of matches in their pursuit of European football, with challenging home games against Aston Villa and Spurs looking set to challenge their top-four credentials.

Forest beat Villa after dominating their European rivals with an xG of 1.78 to 0.42. Then the Spurs victory saw Espirito Santo’s side capitalise on their counterattacking talents, outperforming their visitors in xG despite only having 30% of possession.

Espirito Santo’s team have amassed 17 points so far at the City Ground, which, alongside their 17 points in away games, has seen Forest fans have a lot to shout about this season, which has clearly been something that the Portuguese coach has felt the benefit of.