Nuno Espirito Santo was “over the moon” after Nottingham Forest dug deep to beat Manchester United thanks to Anthony Elanga’s wonder goal and Murillo’s crucial last-gasp clearance.
A season to cherish at the City Ground continued on Tuesday night as the Premier League’s surprise package strengthened their grip on third spot, fresh from reaching a first FA Cup semi-final in 34 years.
Elanga’s electrifying early run and fine finish ended up securing a 1-0 victory against his former club United, but it was not a straightforward night for Forest.
The hosts battened down the hatches three days on from their FA Cup quarter-final against Brighton going to penalties, with Murillo stopping substitute Harry Maguire’s effort on the line in stoppage time to wrap up the win.
“Over the moon,” Nuno said. “We are delighted realising how the game went. We could not be more proud than we are because it was very tough.
“(Murillo’s clearance) was huge for us. Better than a goal, wasn’t it?
“The fans played their part. In these moments we were against the ropes and it was about hard belief. The legs weren’t there anymore, so very, very proud of them.”
Asked about the rocket-heeled Elanga’s goal, the Forest boss said: “Amazing. With the ball (he’s that fast). Imagine without the ball.
“He did it by himself. Credit to him. He has this special ability to drive at pace and still control the ball. It’s such a huge speed and the finish was great.”
Elanga refused to celebrate with the enthusiasm the goal deserved due to the affection he has for his former club, with the academy graduate making 55 appearances and scoring four times before joining Forest in 2023.
The 22-year-old’s display comes at a time when United are struggling for goals, which has led Ruben Amorim to face questions about forwards Marcus Rashford and Antony given they look rejuvenated out on loan.
“We are talking about a lot of players that come from Manchester United and are doing right, but they had the chance here,” the head coach said.
“In Manchester United, you don’t have the time. I am saying all the time that I will not have the time. We have to get it right fast.
“But you are not talking about players that didn’t play for Manchester United. They were here playing for Manchester United.
“In here, the pressure is too big sometimes and sometimes you don’t have time, you should have time for these kids to develop but for that you need a strong base to support all these kids.
“If you don’t have that strong base, we are not going to help our kids.
“So, they had their chances and sometimes football is like that and the pressure of playing for Manchester United is really big.”
United fought to the end but ultimately the side in 13th suffered their 13th loss of a miserable Premier League campaign.
“I think that is clear (we deserved more),” Amorim said. “We created some chances, but we could create more with the possession that we had.
“We reached the final third a lot of times but we need to be better in that final third because that is really important to score goals and we have a lack of goals.”
Arne Slot said Premier League top scorer Mohamed Salah proved he is “human” after missing an open goal at a crucial stage of Liverpool’s thrilling 3-2 loss at Brighton.With the champions leading 2-1 at the Amex Stadium, Reds forward Salah had a golden chance to mark his 300th Premier League appearance with a 29th top-flight goal of the campaign.But he somehow fired wide from the ...
Jack Hinshelwood struck a late winner as Brighton boosted their slender hopes of scraping Conference League qualification with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Premier League champions Liverpool.Arne Slot’s Reds were on course for success at the Amex Stadium following an eye-catching finish from Dominik Szoboszlai after Seagulls midfielder Yasin Ayari cancelled out Harvey Elliott’s early o...
Mikel Arteta said he is ready to give his life to deliver a trophy for Arsenal after he apologised to the club’s fans for ending the season empty handed.Declan Rice’s second-half strike fired Arsenal to a 1-0 win over Newcastle and confirmed their place in the Champions League.However, the Gunners failed to launch a serious title challenge to Liverpool this season, and they are set to ...
Jamie Vardy reflected on an “amazing” and “rollercoaster” career with Leicester after scoring a landmark 200th goal in his 500th and final appearance for the Foxes.The 38-year-old former England striker reached the goal milestone in the 28th minute of Leicester’s home match with Ipswich when he latched on to James Justin’s through ball and expertly slipped it be...
Mikel Arteta apologised to Arsenal supporters for failing to deliver on his dream of ending the club’s two-decade wait for a Premier League title.Declan Rice’s second-half strike fired Arsenal to a 1-0 win over Newcastle and confirmed their place in the Champions League next season.However, the Gunners failed to launch a serious challenge to Liverpool this season and are set to finish ...
Interim boss Liam Fox welled up with tears as he reflected on his “pride” at leading Hearts to four straight wins before departing his boyhood club as they prepare to confirm Derek McInnes as their new manager on Monday.With McInnes set to bring his own backroom staff with him from Kilmarnock, it was announced on Saturday that Fox – a childhood Jambo who started both his playing ...
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor heaped praise on her side’s new celebrity investors after multi-millionaire entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian and his wife, tennis great Serena Williams, flew over for their FA Cup final triumph at Wembley.Sandy Baltimore scored a brace either side of a Catarina Macario goal as Chelsea sealed an unbeaten domestic treble with a 3-0 victory over Manchester United in fron...
Declan Rice’s second-half strike fired Arsenal to a 1-0 win against Newcastle at the Emirates and a place in next season’s Champions League.Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya kept his side in the match with a string of fine saves prior to the interval before Rice delivered from range with 55 minutes gone.Arsenal’s victory moves them five points clear of third-placed Newcastle with jus...
Marco Silva says Harry Wilson will “want to play Brentford every week” after he stung the Bees for a second time this season with the winner in Fulham’s 3-2 west London derby victory at the Gtech Community Stadium.Wilson, who had his contract extended until next summer this week and also scored a stoppage-time double in Fulham’s 2-1 win over Brentford in November, replicate...
Tony Docherty thanked Lyall Cameron for an outstanding career at Dundee after the midfielder signed off in style with a double in victory over St Johnstone.Cameron, who penned a pre-contract with Rangers in February, inspired a 2-0 win that eased the Dark Blues away from the relegation play-off place.The 22-year-old netted after 28 minutes and rounded off a man-of-the-match display with a stoppage...
- 1 Richie Wellens hails Leyton Orient’s ‘outstanding’ victory over Stockport
- 2 We will see – no Unai Emery assurances over future of tearful Emiliano Martinez
- 3 Arsenal offer £135k deal to seduce target
- 4 Mikel Arteta ready to give his life to deliver silverware for Arsenal
- 5 Leyton Orient book Wembley date by beating Stockport on penalties
- 6 Chelsea beat Manchester United in FA Cup final to seal domestic treble
- 7 Mikel Arteta apologises for failing to deliver Arsenal a Premier League title
- 8 Liverpool cleared to complete signing
- 9 Brendan Rodgers hits out at ‘needless challenge’ on Reo Hatate
- 10 Marc Guehi to land transfer to Real or Barca