Nottingham Forest

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Anthony Elanga spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live after Nottingham Forest's victory against Liverpool: "We come here to Liverpool and not many teams can beat them and play the way we did - we got rewarded with it at the end.

"This game reminded of the game we played at Chelsea [Chelsea 0-1 Nottingham Forest], it's a special win today.

"Me and Callum [Hudson-Odoi] spoke about it on the bench - 'when we come on we would make a difference'.

"We have started the season well, but we have still got 35 games left - we have to go game-by-game.

"Last season we played the big sides and played well, it was marginal difference and they were clinical - today we were clinical."

Callum Hudson-Odoi spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Saturday's win: "Everyone's morale is up, we are confident going into every game. We know in our heads the mentality has to be right and we are doing that as a team. The camp is good.

"I didn't start but I wasn't angry or disappointed, I am buzzing, we are all buzzing. It's nice to get the goals but it's just the start of the season and I can keep getting more."

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Nuno Espirito Santo spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live after Nottingham Forest's victory over Liverpool: "Realising Liverpool are such a good team it required a lot of effort from the players, the organisation, tackling and the covers.

"The only way to achieve anything here is if you are organised and do everything that you can.

"When you start the way we started with our wingers, Neco Williams and Elliot Anderson - all the effort of them tracking Liverpool's full-backs it is a lot of energy.

"The team needed fresh legs and they played well.

"We are working hard and it is about building and believing in this idea that you can develop."

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport journalist at Anfield

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Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo deserves huge credit for their start to the season.

All the talk was of Liverpool's unbeaten start under Slot - but Forest had not lost a Premier League game either.

And now they are the unbeaten ones.

Their first-half performance was solid and unspectacular. They frustrated Liverpool but did not have a single shot before the break.

Nuno's bravery swung the game Forest's way. He brought on Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga when the temptation might have been to shore things up - and it paid off.

Elanga found Hudson-Odoi for the goal.

Forest players went to celebrate with their fans at the end of their first win at Anfield since the first man landed on the Moon.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Liverpool’s performance, external

What did you make of Nottingham Forest’s display?, external

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Read the match report and follow reaction

There are eight Premier League games on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you all the action and reaction throughout the day.

All time are BST

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BBC Radio 5 Live match commentaries:

• Liverpool v Nottingham Forest

• Aston Villa v Everton

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week four, he takes on Femi Koleoso and Ife Ogunjobi from jazz band Ezra Collective, the 2023 Mercury Music Prize winners.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

I'm at Anfield for BBC Radio 5 Live and I'm looking forward to seeing Arne Slot's Liverpool.

They haven't conceded a goal yet, and they don't give away many chances, but they still look good going forward and absolutely tore Manchester United apart at Old Trafford.

Chris Wood is in good form for Nottingham Forest, but I just don't see them scoring.

Their plan will probably be to just sit in and try to keep Liverpool out, but I don't think that will work either - Mohamed Salah will score and Slot will win again.

Femi's prediction: 3-0

Liverpool are looking like the second-best team in the league at the moment.

Ife's prediction: 4-0

They are at home so I am expecting some goals.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Boss Nuno Espirito Santo insists he has no regrets after failing to land another striker for Nottingham Forest.

The club were unable to complete deals for PSV Eindhoven forward Santiago Gimenez and Eddie Nketiah, who eventually joined Crystal Palace from Arsenal, in the transfer window.

It has left them light up front with Chris Wood backed up by Taiwo Awoniyi and Emmanuel Dennis, although new attackers Ramon Sosa and Jota Silva can deputise if needed.

Forest, unbeaten in their opening three games, go to Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday and Nuno remains happy with his options.

He said: "In the transfer window we were looking for many options that could help us. The main thing was we looked for someone who could improve us and someone who wanted to be with us. These two things are very important.

"There was no disappointment at all, the main objective was to keep the players we wanted to keep.

"This is something which is good for us in the development of the squad and, afterwards, knowing we have solutions. To believe in them, trust them and to develop them."

Wood has returned from New Zealand's games against the United States and Mexico before Forest's trip to Anfield.

He will be assessed following his transatlantic travel but remains first choice. Awoniyi has struggled to prove his fitness, while Dennis' long-term future appears to be away from the City Ground after two loans last season.

Nuno added: "Chris is a competitor. He is ready to play. What we have to do is manage him before and after the games - but he is always available.

"We know and trust who we have and we have solutions. It's up to us to develop these versatile players who I think can do these positions."

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In the latest episode of Shut Up And Show More Football, Nottingham Forest's "potential" was discussed as well as how they can maximise it should key players become targets for "bigger clubs."

Commentator Colin Fray spoke to David Jackson about Forest's progression: "When Nuno [Espirito Santo] talks about developing his players and looking at wide players who might be able to give them something up front, he is looking at a squad now where he has potential and he has got options.

"The other one we didn't mention is Eric da Silva Moreira, 18 years of age, what a start he has made to his Forest career. He was fantastic in the League Cup tie against Newcastle and he has played age group football for Germany against England during this last international break.

"The potential for Forest is to just keep going for as long as they can, producing these kind of players, accepting the fact that somewhere along the line, if the development continues to go in the direction that it is going, that these players are going to be worth a lot of money and they are going to attract bids from bigger clubs.

"Eventually they are going to lose one or two of them and maybe more over the years but if in that time they have accelerated Forest further up the Premier League table, they have helped to solidify Forest in the heart of the Premier League if you like and they are no longer looking over their shoulders and scrapping in relegation every year, then that is progress.

"You look at the recruitment a la Brighton, move players on for big money, look for the next one who is coming through for not very big money who you can then develop over the next couple of years.

"Yes they might have to move on but they will have helped to take the club higher and higher and that's life for a club that's not in the top six, that has not got European football and that can't expect players to stay there necessarily forever and ever.

"As long as a squad continues to be put together that can develop that young talent and can take the club forward, that is what is being asked and I certainly think they've done that and the squad is certainly a lot smaller."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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On Thursday, we asked for one thing you have spotted about Nottingham Forest so far this season that has gone under the radar. Put simply, what is something nobody is talking about but should be?

Here are some of your suggestions:

Kris: A lot of people are talking about the influence of Morgan Gibbs-White and our attacking options in wide areas. What less people have talked about is the calm assurance Nikola Milenkovic has brought to our defence. Conceding from set pieces seems less of a foregone conclusion and, conversely, we now have a genuine threat of our own.

Tim: The biggest change to Forest's season so far is the signing of Milenkovic. He is a world-class centre-back and has made all of the back four, and Matz Sels, look so much more secure. It gives confidence to the midfield and allows us to attack with more freedom. Nikola is the signing we absolutely needed - and for a good price.

Simon: Ola Aina is a class act and the most underrated player in the Forest squad.

Stuart: It is testament to the quality of Elliot Anderson that he has slotted into the team so seamlessly. An instant first-team player with bags of quality, playing out of position when needed and pushing Morgan Gibbs-White to better performances. Three games in and it’s clear we got a great deal when signing him.

Dave: No one seems prepared to give Forest credit for the huge increase in squad quality versus two years ago. People couldn’t wait to give us stick for the number of recruits in 2022 but we needed them (mostly). Look at the number of international call-ups versus the line-ups we were putting out in September 2022 against Bournemouth, Fulham etc..

Evan: Scoring when the team is playing well and being clinical. Five points could easily have been nine. Don’t make a habit of playing well and under-scoring (goals and points) as no team is too good to go down! Leeds and Leicester recently, and Newcastle and West Ham further back can attest to that!

In the latest episode of Shut Up And Show More Football, David Jackson and Colin Fray spoke of their delight as Morgan Gibbs-White made his debut for England's senior men's side, coming on as a 76th-minute substitute during the recent international break.

"It was a lovely moment on Saturday evening when he came on as a substitute [for Jack Grealish against the Republic of Ireland] and made his way on to the pitch," Jackson said.

"Just about everybody in Nottinghamshire in one way or another, showed their pride on social media.

"That feeling, it has been a long time since we had a Forest player representing England and seeing Gibbs-White run out on to the pitch you sort of felt like a proud dad. There goes a Forest player playing for England again.

"It has been over a quarter of a century we have waited for this moment. For the decade or more before that, it was commonplace and now we have had a long time.

"It is going to be really tough for him from now on to get back in. He's going to have to really keep producing and take it on to another level as well because this time an opportunity presented itself because Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham had pulled out before.

"He has got there, he's got that England cap, now his aim is to build on that and get more, it's going to be a big ask."

Gibbs-White has tasted success with England at youth level, winning the Under-21 European Championship last year and the Under-17 World Cup in 2017 with former Forest boss Steve Cooper.

Fray added: "Taken for granted I think by a generation of Forest fans but then another generation has come along and never seen it. It's another one of those generational moments that has been a feature of Forest over the last three or four years.

"It is just great to see and the reward for some very good performances as well. You don't just get an England call-up. To be fair, there were a lot of injuries but he has taken his chance and gone in there and done well with the minutes that he had.

"But even with injuries you don't get an England call-up for the sake of it, you get an England call-up because you are playing well at your club level and you're a very, very good player and you've been working hard as Nuno [Espirito-Santo] said. Many, many congratulations to him, it was a great moment and it was another one of those moments that for a Forest fan of a certain age, they will have never experienced before and that is a Forest player taking the field in an England shirt.

"It's shown over the last quarter of a century or so how difficult it is to be at those kind of levels where you are capable of producing England players."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Nuno Espirito Santo has known Morgan Gibbs-White since the midfielder was 17 years old.

The pair worked together at Wolves and Nuno gave Gibbs-White a platform as a teenager as they won the Championship in 2018. It means he has seen the now 24-year-old at his highest and lowest, both on and off the pitch.

Gibbs-White made 32 appearances in all competitions in 2018-19 - after Wolves returned to the Premier League under Nuno - before struggling to make a consistent impact the next year and was caught breaking Covid regulations in May 2020.

Loans at Swansea and Sheffield United meant he took steps back in order to go forwards before his switch to the City Ground from Wolves in 2022 and, ultimately, a reunion with Nuno.

He has flourished at Forest, proving those who questioned a price tag which could rise to £42m wrong, to earn his first senior England cap against Ireland on Saturday.

Nuno prefers not to heap praise on individuals so when asked about the new England man on Thursday he pivoted to praising all of Forest's internationals during the break but, tellingly, he expects Gibbs-White to improve after his time with the Three Lions.

Some could view it as a bit of psychology - but it is Nuno's way of continuing to push a player he has helped mould over the last seven years.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Chris Wood will be given every chance to prove his fitness for Nottingham Forest's trip to Liverpool.

Boss Nuno Espirito Santo takes his side to Anfield on Saturday aiming to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

Wood played 74 minutes of New Zealand's 1-1 draw with the USA in Cincinnati in midweek having already featured for 70 minutes in the 3-0 defeat against Mexico in California at the weekend.

He is now back in Nottingham and will evaluated by the club's medical staff.

"This is the bad part of the international break - we have one day to assess and make a decision," said Nuno.

"This is what we have to assess tomorrow. Some of them have had long travels. Some of them have played more or less minutes. We have one day to make decisions."

Willy Boly suffered a calf problem in training with the Ivory Coast and is a major doubt while Danilo is a long-term absentee after his ankle break on the opening day against Bournemouth.

However, West Ham loanee James Ward-Prowse and defender Morato could make their debuts. Midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White is also available having made his England debut in the 2-0 win in Ireland on Saturday.

"We as a club are very proud, not only for him, but all the players we have seen on international duty," added Nuno. "We are delighted for them.

"Morgan joined all the age stages of the national team - it was a matter of time. He had the quality and ambition to play for England [and] it was always one of his goals.

"He achieved it and hopefully he can repeat it."

Sarah Rendell
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Liverpool (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On if players who have travelled for the international break are going to be fit: "This is what we have to assess tomorrow. All of them are here with the exception of [Ramon] Sosa. He arrives this afternoon, but we are assessing. We have one day to assess and make the decision."

• Nuno said the club is "proud" of Morgan Gibbs-White for winning his first England cap: "He enjoyed all the [age] group stages of the national team. He was a world champion. It was a matter of time, I think, because of his talent, quality and ambition to play for England. He is delighted. It was always one of his goals. He has achieved it and I hope he repeats it."

• On Morato and James Ward-Prowse: "I think they have adapted well to the group. They are totally integrated and enjoying their football, preparing themselves for the chance when it comes. Easier for James, of course but for Morato, like all the players that have joined us, the squad has received him really well."

• On what Ward-Prowse can offer the team in the midfield: "He is different. His experience and quality, his talent and his knowledge of the game. I think he can help us a lot."

• Nuno was also asked about Nikola Milenkovic: "First of all his quality and the way he has been working with us since the beginning shows he is very focused and very determined. He is a competitor. Every moment of a training session, he is always trying to do better. That is the spirit that we want, someone that brings this mentality to what we already have. A very nice guy."

• He knows a trip to Liverpool will be a difficult challenge: "They are a very good team first of all. Very good players and they have started very well. Some things are different [under Arne Slot than under Jurgen Klopp]. Some things are the same - the players and the core are there. But always a very tough team and we know we are going to face a very good opponent."

Follow all of Thursday''s Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Liverpool v Nottingham Forest - listen to full commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live from 15:00 BST on Saturday

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Nottingham Forest defender Nikola Milenkovic says it's better to be a defender in the Premier League than in Serie A.

Milenkovic spent seven seasons in the Italian top flight with Fiorentina before moving to the City Ground in July.

“You change country, culture, language and everything but everybody at Fiorentina helped me to adapt as fast as possible," Milenkovic told BBC East Midlands about leaving his native Serbia to move to Italy.

“Serie A in Italy is famous for tactics and the Premier League is faster and more intense. There are less fouls than in Italy and this makes the game more fast and more transitional.

"For a defender, it is better in the Premier League. It is the best league in the world and the intensity is very high. There is more physical work and it is tough to play but you enjoy the football and you see the passion from the people and the fans."

On moving to Forest, Milenkovic added: “Everybody helps me a lot, the group is great. The club is like a family and the fans have a big passion.

“Playing these type of matches [Saturday's trip to Liverpool] will be a great experience. It will be a very tough game but we will play in the best way possible.”

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Nuno Espirito Santo may have missed out on another frontline striker but he could still have the perfect man up front.

The arrival of James Ward-Prowse - who has one of the best deliveries in the division - will be able to give Chris Wood the perfect service.

Wood's 14 goals last season came from just 20 starts in the league and he has already opened his account in the 1-1 draw with Wolves.

The additions of Ramon Sosa and Jota Silva should provide further threat and ammunition and Wood could flourish before Forest have the chance to add new faces in January.

Failed moves for Feyenoord's Santiago Gimenez and Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal could actually prove perfect for Wood, allowing him to continue as the main man.

On Thursday lunchtime, Nuno faces the media ahead of the weekend trip to Liverpool for his first pre-match press conference since the end of the transfer window.

It will be an opportunity to dissect the end of the window, rather than the snatched chance following the 1-1 draw with Wolves almost two weeks ago.

Morgan Gibbs-White's England debut will be up for discussion while Ward-Prowse could be handed his debut after his deadline-day loan from West Ham.

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Nottingham Forest defender Nikola Milenkovic says football was an "escape" for him as a child during the conflict happening around him.

The defender, who signed for the Reds in July, came through the youth ranks at Partizan Belgrade, the city that he was born in.

“It was special growing up in Belgrade," Milenkovic told BBC East Midlands. "There was a war and it was difficult for our parents but these things made us strong. Belgrade is a beautiful city and every time I come home I enjoy it.

"It made us stronger and so many people have a strong character. From tough times come good people with good character.

"As little kids, football was an escape and they forgot about everything. It was really good for the kids in this moment."

Last week, Milenkovic captained Serbia on his 58th cap in their Nations League game against Spain.

"It is a big honour of course to represent your country and your people and it’s one of the proudest moments of my career," he said.

"I’m thankful for the opportunity and I hope we will make our country happy."

Five points from the opening three games has been a decent start for Nottingham Forest albeit with trips to high-flying Liverpool and Brighton to come in the next two weeks.

But what have you spotted about the Reds so far this season? What is the one thing - good or bad - that nobody is talking about?

Let us know your thoughts, external - and we'll feature your replies on Thursday

Pat Riddell
Fan writer

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There was a time when many people thought Nottingham Forest had massively overpaid for Morgan Gibbs-White.

However, most Forest fans had seen him light up the Championship in a Sheffield United shirt and knew the relationship he and Steve Cooper had. The midfielder was part of Cooper’s World Cup-winning England Under-17 squad, as well as being on loan at Swansea while the Welshman was manager.

If Cooper wanted him, and the owner Evangelos Marinakis thought he should become the Reds’ record signing, then the fans were only ever going to support the arrival of a player who had been at Wolves since he was eight years old.

The initial £25m paid two years ago would not even cover his mercurial right foot now. Even with the £17.5m in add-ons, of which about £10m have probably been fulfilled, it still would not match his current market rate, undoubtedly in excess of £50m.

More importantly for both Forest and Gibbs-White, at the weekend he became the club's first player to win an England cap since 1997 with his 15-minute debut off the bench proved what he is capable of.

After creating nine chances from open play in three Premier League appearances this season, the most by any player, he conjured up a further two chances against the Republic of Ireland in his brief cameo.

Hopefully he will get another chance to impress for Lee Carsley’s second match against Finland. After all, the two know each other well from the manager's time with the England Under-21 squad, both of them winning the Under-21 European Championship last summer.

But the City Ground’s talisman has evidently gained his first England cap on merit alone. There are few players who have performed as well as him in the Garibaldi.

Indeed, for anyone under 30, it is likely Gibbs-White is the most talented player to play on Trentside in their lifetime.

The goal for everyone now is that the 24-year-old is not the only Forest player to be in the England squad, and that even just a fraction of the Reds' glory days can return to a club that has waited almost 30 years for top-flight success.

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external

The Premier League’s summer transfer window saw clubs spend almost £2bn in all.

Data from Footballtransfers.com, external shows the biggest net spend by a club - that’s all the money spent minus all that came in from sales - was Brighton.

The Seagulls had a net spend of £153.5m.

On the flip side, the club who generated the biggest net summer profit on transfers was Manchester City, who made £115.8m, thanks in large part to the sale of Julian Alvarez.

Tottenham had a net spend of £5.6m.

Newcastle United could revisit a deal for Nottingham Forest forward Anthony Elanga in January. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Saturday's full gossip column

Slobodan Maricic
BBC Serbia journalist

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The referee's whistle to mark the start of Serbia's Nations League game against Spain also marked something else. Something much bigger.

It marked a new beginning for the Serbian national team, led by a new captain: Nottingham Forest defender Nikola Milenkovic.

And new eras, as it usually happens, come after a lot of turbulence.

When Serbia exited Euro 2024 at the group stage, the future of the squad seemed quite uncertain.

The captain - former Southampton midfielder Dusan Tadic - openly criticised coach Dragan Stojkovic and later announced he was retiring from international duty.

Everyone thought the captain’s armband would go to Aleksandar Mitrovic, former Newcastle United and Fulham striker. But that is when things got complicated.

The media wrote about the open rebellion against Stojkovic in the locker room, with some players not wanting to play for him any more. Mitrovic was allegedly one of them, but nothing was confirmed officially.

A couple of months down the line and Serbia's record scorer - as well as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic - were not available to play for their country in these Nations League matches because of injury. Both were later seen in training for their Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal.

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic also did not join up, citing "private reasons.

It left Serbia with a very different looking set of players, and still without a captain.

Stojkovic chose Milenkovic, who had the most caps (58) of the players who answered their international call-up.

"I am glad I decided to make him the captain, he fully justified the role," Stojkovic said after the 0-0 draw with Spain.

Milenkovic added that the armband is a "great honour and responsibility”, but also the "crown of his career".

A transfer to the Premier League and a promotion to captain of your national team.

Not bad for one summer.

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Former England and Nottingham Forest defender Viv Anderson says Morgan Gibbs-White needs to "revel in playing for England" in order to make the successful step up from youth level.

Gibbs-White is one of four uncapped players brought in by interim head coach Lee Carsley for Nations Leagues games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland.

The Forest midfielder worked with Carsley when playing for England's age group teams and was part of the side that won the Under-21 European Championship in Georgia in June 2023.

"It is going to be interesting to see how these young lads do - are they going to be the next golden generation?" Anderson said. "Everyone is crossing their fingers and hoping that is the case.

"But going from the Under-21s to the full England senior squad is a big, big step - some people wilt and some people will take the challenge on, just like Phil Foden did.

"He revels in playing for England and I think that is the attitude you have got to take. I look at Tino Livramento and Gibbs-White and they are decent players and will be looking forward to making the step up.

"Only time will tell [but] you have to give them the opportunity, then will they grasp it with both hands? Or do they do just OK and then the manager could think 'I am not sure he is quite ready for the big internationals'."

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We asked you for your views on how Nottingham Forest have started the season - and where you thought they might finish.

A whopping 83% of respondents opted for 11th-17th - and the comments we received are reflective of that:

Des: Careful, considered and balanced window. Tremendous work that gives me great hope and optimism for the coming season. It was a shame about the strikers but I prefer to be with our two plus potential replacements from within the squad if they are injured or not up to form rather than the usual panic buys/loans!

Quilty: I'm really looking forward to what James Ward Prowse is going to bring to the squad this season - he's proven to be a class act. An excellent addition to the team. I don't know too much about the other recent acquisitions but feel that if Nuno gets it right tactically and is prepared to give it a go, I'm optimistic of a mid-table position.

Kris: After three games it’s hard to draw too many conclusions, but one thing that stands out is our tendency to switch off. Against Bournemouth and Wolves, we’ve conceded goals that were easily avoided, dropping four points in the process. I’m hoping Nikola Milenkovic continues to impress in defence and Ward Prowse can improve our goal return from set pieces.

Neil: A shrewd transfer window has been great to see and that we have been able to bolster and improve the bones of a side that is growing in confidence and understanding of one another. I have high hopes for a more comfortable season and a finish on or around mid table.

Dave: We're looking more solid so far but the test will be against the so-called bigger teams and how we cope against them. If we start turning draws into wins and become more clinical with our chances, I think we should be OK. Finishing 14-15th would be fine with me and we can push on from there.