NOTTINGHAM, England :Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo cut a disappointed figure following his side’s 1-0 home loss to Everton on Saturday that is a blow to their chances of qualifying for the Champions League but he knows their fate remains in their own hands.
Below-par Forest lost for the first time at the City Ground since November having last conceded at home in mid-January as Everton ended the hosts’ nine-game unbeaten run in front of their own fans with Abdoulaye Doucoure’s 94th minute winner.
It leaves Forest four points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea, who have a game in hand, and Newcastle in seventh, who have two more fixtures to play than Nuno’s side.
The top five teams in the Premier League will play in the Champions League next season.
“Very tough and very disappointing,” Nuno told the BBC. “The game was not the best and we were not comfortable. The beginning of the second half was the only time we were able to settle down and play.
“The rest of the game was Everton dominant, they were winning second balls and always attacking us. We were missing passes and miscontrolling.”
Nuno admitted he would have taken a point after his side’s poor performance, but the sucker-punch of an injury-time winner for Everton was tough to take.
“When you cannot win because the opponent is having a better game than you, you still have the draw. You still need to be solid and compact. Today we were punished by our own mistakes,” he said.
“You have to give credit to Everton, they created problems. They were able to play and control the game. We did not win duels, that is one of the things we have to look at.”
Nuno said Champions League qualification remained Forest’s to lose as they go to his old club Tottenham Hotspur on April 21.
“It is going to be tough to the end of the season, but the positive thing is it’s still in our hands and we have to bounce back and play better,” he said.
“Nobody is going to give us anything, we have to conquer it. It is important to have a good week of preparation for the Tottenham game.”
