Santo was ‘nervous as hell’ before late goals went ‘beyond football’

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has said a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision not to award his team a late equaliser against Aston Villa in the Premier League gave his players “belief” that they could win the game.

After Chris Wood was denied his 11th goal of the season in the 81st minute, Forest made a sensational comeback to beat Villa 2-1 at the City Ground through Nikola Milenkovic’s 87th-minute header and Anthony Elanga’s finish in the 93rd minute.

“It goes beyond football – it’s about heart, belief, desire!” ❤

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo on his side’s dramatic comeback against Aston Villa 🗣 pic.twitter.com/6dF9hi4kPI

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2024

“I was not calm,” Santo told BBC Match of the Day after Forest rose above reigning champions Manchester City to fourth in the table.

“I was nervous as hell. I try to focus on the game and the best help I can give the team is to ignore what is going on on the outside.

“The moment the VAR took the goal off us, instead of it putting us down, it gave us the belief that we could go on and do it. After that, it was amazing. We were running all over the place. It was entertaining, for sure, but also stressful.”

“This season, I can do SO MUCH better!” 💪

Anthony Elanga has his feet on the ground after scoring Nottingham Forest’s dramatic late winner against Aston Villa 💬 pic.twitter.com/ptqrkx8T10

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2024

Santo: Forest vs Villa ‘amazing’

Forest took 22 points from 21 league games between Santo’s appointment in December and the end of last season, finishing immediately outside of the relegation zone.

Their third win in four matches and fourth in five at homes means they have taken 28 points from 15 matches this time around and are three points behind second-placed Chelsea.

Villa started the day level on points with Forest and were on course for a fourth consecutive victory when Jhon Duran headed the 63rd-minute opener.

Nikola Milenkovic equalises late on for Forest! 💥 pic.twitter.com/cfV2iNoidi

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2024

“The ending was amazing – the belief and the desire,” reflected Santo. “It was very equal in the first half. It was well-organised from both teams.

“There weren’t too many flaws. We created problems and they did too from set-pieces. Then we had a big moment and we conceded.”

ANTHONY ELANGA SCORES IN INJURY-TIME! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/saAjkQETAA

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2024

Forest ‘have the heart’

“[The comeback] goes beyond football,” added Santo. “It’s not football anymore. It’s about belief. It’s about bouncing back from a hard moment and going again when you are not full of energy but you have the heart.

“Thinking back to Anthony Elanga coming off the bench [in the 77th minute], it’s also about the players realising that [when] they don’t start, they can give a hand in the right moments. As long as we can understand that, we can compete very well.”