Nuno Espirito Santo reacts after hearing he’s matched a Brian Clough record for Nottingham Forest

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Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo can be forgiven for waking up and pinching himself each and every morning.

The Reds beat Manchester United last night to go 10 points clear of Newcastle in the race to secure Champions League football next season.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	30	17	6	7	50	35	15	57

It’s been quite the 16 months for Espirito Santo at Forest.

Last season, he had to contend with a team that couldn’t defend properly, a four-point deduction and a squad ravaged by injury to keep the team in the Premier League.

Evangelos Marinakis considered sacking Espirito Santo twice, but after a full pre-season, the Forest head coach is now reaping the rewards.

Now, after the latest win, Espirito Santo is on an even keel with the legendary Brian Clough in one regard.

• READ MORE: Ryan Yates hails Forest star after win over Manchester United

Nuno Espirito Santo reacts after hearing he’s matched a Brian Clough record

After last night’s win, Espirito Santo has equalled a Brian Clough record.

Forest did the double over Manchester United in the league for the first time since 1991/92 when the Reds achieved that feat under Brian Clough.

Espirito Santo was told of this record after the game and he was happy with the feat.

He told BBC Sport: “The records, the boys are breaking all of them, and today the City Ground was part of the game. We were against the ropes. The City Ground helps us.”

Espirito Santo can etch his name into Forest folklore

Make no bones about it, Forest could potentially achieve one of the best stories in Premier League history if Champions League football is secured.

The Reds now have a 10-point gap and although Newcastle have a couple of games in hand, it’s an exciting time to be a supporter.

Espirito Santo is highly unlikely to eclipse Clough and his achievements but he’s on course to become the best manager since the iconic figure this season.

United aren’t the driving force they once were, but beating them twice is still very sweet, and it’s great that Espirito Santo can be acknowledged for these accomplishments.