Forest lend retro feel to table - here's why they can stay the course

The Premier League array has a retro consciousness astir it astatine the halfway stage.

Liverpool's winning instrumentality nether Arne Slot pb the way, but their closest existent challengers are the ones that person thrown up the existent surprise.

With 19 games played, Nottingham Forest prevarication 2nd and are tussling with the Reds, akin to erstwhile they locked horns for silverware successful the precocious 1970s and during the 80s.

Forest bushed Everton 2-0 connected Sunday with their fans leaving Goodison Park and heading backmost to the Midlands singing "we're gonna triumph the league".

Doing 'a Leicester City' and claiming the trophy mightiness beryllium a stretch, peculiarly arsenic it would necessitate a important illness from Liverpool.

But, for now, they are drinking successful each moment.

"We are enjoying it," said brag Nuno Espirito Santo of their league position. "We are particularly enjoying due to the fact that our fans are enjoying.

"This is what we person to bash together, let's bask the journey, vie successful each match. Nothing changes, we person to realise we didn't execute anything."

Here, BBC Sport looks astatine 5 reasons wherefore Forest are susceptible of keeping gait for a top-four finish.

Forest won the First Division rubric successful 1978 with Liverpool coming second, portion the last league positions were reversed a twelvemonth later.

During the 80s, Forest finished 3rd connected 3 occasions and, successful those seasons, Liverpool doubly ended arsenic champions arsenic good arsenic coming runners-up.

Under Brian Clough, Forest shocked the continent by lifting the European Cup successful 1979 and retaining the crown a twelvemonth later.

They person not competed successful that contention since the 1980-81 campaign, but tin fans commencement dreaming of proceeding the Champions League anthem astatine the City Ground adjacent season?

Having 37 points aft 19 games shows mixed results successful the Premier League era.

For example, Wimbledon finished eighth successful 1997 having had the aforesaid tally astatine this signifier and Sunderland came seventh 3 years later, portion Chelsea (2003) and Liverpool (2008) some managed to decorativeness successful the apical 4 astatine the extremity of the campaign.

Chris Wood is simply a proven Premier League striker, netting treble figures successful six seasons, antecedently for Burnley and present Forest.

The New Zealand planetary scored his 11th league extremity of the run against Everton with a delightful decorativeness and his goalscoring tally is showing nary signs of slowing down.

Only the accustomed suspects of Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer person scored much goals successful the league this play than Wood.

The 33-year-old is connected people to surpass his champion top-flight tally of 14 achieved past word arsenic good arsenic for the Clarets successful 2019-20, and his 22 goals nether Nuno Espirito Santo is the joint-most by a Forest subordinate nether 1 manager.

He is successful good Forest institution with that number, alongside Stan Collymore who netted the aforesaid for Frank Clark successful the 1990s.

There was precocious praise for Wood connected BBC Sport's unrecorded substance commentary of Sunday's game, erstwhile helium was compared to a cult leader of Italian football.

Contributor Andrew said: "Wood is moving astir and scoring similar a premier Christian Vieri this season. His abilities person ever been under-rated successful English football."

Forest are not conscionable equipped with a potent goalscorer, they are coagulated defensively excessively having conceded lone 19 goals successful arsenic galore games truthful acold this season.

Only leaders Liverpool (17) and third-placed Arsenal (16) person shipped less successful the top-flight this term.

Goalkeeper Matz Sels leads the mode successful the league with 8 cleanable sheets and though helium had a comfy day connected Merseyside, helium did marque a crisp halt disconnected Beto to sphere different shutout.

But Forest's prima of the amusement successful their backline is centre-half Nikola Milenkovic, who volition surely beryllium a contender for bargain signing of the season.

Having antecedently been linked with 'bigger' clubs, Forest swooped to motion Milenkovic for conscionable £12m from Fiorentina successful the summertime and the towering Serbia planetary is showcasing what different sides are missing retired on.

The 27-year-old is the bedrock of Forest's good antiaircraft showings and marshals his team-mates with assurance and authority.

Appointed conscionable implicit a twelvemonth ago, not adjacent the astir optimistic of Forest fans would person expected the interaction Nuno has made.

Having been 17th successful the array erstwhile helium took implicit past December and staring astatine relegation pursuing a points deduction for breaching fiscal rules, the ex-Wolves has galvanised the nine to permission the fans singing "up the Football League we go".

Wood and Milenkovic person been highlighted and the broadside were untroubled astatine Everton without injured defender Murillo, showing that the Portuguese has an array of endowment that enactment arsenic supporting cast.

The astir notable of those is skipper Morgan Gibbs-White.

Like his manager, the midfielder made the determination from Molineux and has since breached into the England nationalist team.

It was his shot guardant that acceptable up the opener against Everton and the 24-year-old's extremity successful the crippled was coolly taken - receiving a walk from Wood, turning a defender, and converting with aplomb.

Nuno called his skipper a "talented player" who is "fantastic", portion Nevin said helium is simply a "class act".

Ex-England defender Stephen Warnock said connected BBC Radio 5 Live: "The equilibrium that they person up beforehand and the players that they person successful those guardant areas are wonderful. They person been originative and clinical."

Forest person capitalised connected members of the accepted apical six faltering this season.

Champions Manchester City's situation has been well-documented, and they presently beryllium successful 5th place, portion Tottenham and Manchester United are obscurity to beryllium seen, languishing successful the bottommost fractional of the table.

Aston Villa's packed docket is catching up with them - they are down successful ninth spot aft finishing 4th past season.

"Our expectations are the same," said Nuno. "We person to hole for the adjacent one."

That crippled successful the caller twelvemonth comes against his erstwhile nine Wolves, who are rejuvenated nether Vitor Pereira, and a bully effect determination is different measurement person to retro becoming a caller reality.