Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo is relishing moment of ‘joy and happiness’ after 3-0 win over West Ham saw Reds climb to third in the Premier League… but warns they must not get distracted

September 1998 was the last time Nottingham Forest were in the top three places of England’s football pyramid.

By January, manager Dave Bassett had been sacked and four months later Forest were relegated to the second tier. Perhaps that is why Nuno Espirito Santo knows better than to talk up his team’s chances of finishing in the European places this season.

Forest already have 19 points, just 13 shy of their total for last season. Nuno will say that securing safety is still the club’s overriding aim, but fears of relegation is the last thing on supporters’ minds.

Fans are dreaming of a European tour and who can blame them? While Nuno insisted it is the position Forest have in May, not November, that matters – giving fans afternoons like Saturday’s 3-0 victory over West Ham is something he takes great pride in.

‘We’ve been through afternoons and evenings [where we’ve been] really disappointed together. For us and the fans to share this joy and happiness is massive,’ Nuno said.

Chris Wood has scored eight of Forest’s 14 goals this season and netted the opener 

‘It is a positive moment. We worked very hard this week, this is what we are focused on. We have to work and work hard and improve much more.

‘Nothing has changed since the beginning, we have to keep on going. Believe me, there is no other way. If you get distracted, football doesn’t forgive you.

‘I think the longer the team is together, the better the players will know each other, the options we have coming back, the group should be stronger and as time goes by the bond will grow.’

Chris Wood has scored eight of Forest’s 14 goals this season and his opener against West Ham was his fifth in the last four games. Wood even showed his worth in his team’s defensive area, making a vital goal-line block while his team led 1-0.

‘Wow, what can we say?’ Nuno said of Wood. ‘There is no better example. We cannot thank him enough. He has been huge for us. The lads have great confidence in him. I hope it continues.’

Nuno admitted Edson Alvarez’s red card just before half-time changed the game and his opposite number, Julen Lopetegui agreed.

It is the second time Alvarez has been sent off after picking up two yellow cards and his dismissal at the City Ground was a carbon copy of his sending off in the League Cup at Liverpool in September.

On both occasions, Alvarez flew into a tackle he did not need to make while already on a yellow card.

Julen Lopeteguiui agreed the red card to Edson Alvarez impacted the outcome of the game

‘You can prepare the team but the players have to take the right decisions and we have to play with eleven men,’ Lopetegui said.

‘It’s one of the situations we can avoid because there was no danger of this. We had a lot of players in our box.

‘The little details in the Premier League are key, the big details are much more key, we have to improve in this kind of decision for sure. He knows.’