Vítor Pereira exercises the ghost of Palhinha, as Forest build confidence ahead of Porto clash with victory at Spurs | OneFootball

Pereira has Forest in form (Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur 0-3 Nottingham Forest

Vítor Pereira has enjoyed a tremendous week at the helm of Premier League side Nottingham Forest, with back-to-back wins in domestic and continental competition sending the Reds into the international break in fine spirits.

Forest booked their place in the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday by overturning a first-leg deficit to eliminate Midtjylland in Denmark, before switching their attention to the fight against relegation back home. Sunday’s highly-impressive 3-0 win at fellow strugglers Tottenham Hotspur could prove vital in Forest’s hopes of beating the drop.

Goals from Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi put Forest three points clear of the bottom three. For Pereira, the goal from Brazilian striker Jesus on the stroke of half time was important, but the decision made at the interval to remain loyal to an ambitious play style after Spurs registered eight first-half corners proved beneficial.

“Very good week, very good week,” Pereira emphasised in his post-match interview. “It’s a win that’s important for the supporters, important for the players to feel confidence, to believe that we can get points everywhere.

“We started the game in a good level. But after 15-20 minutes we started to play Tottenham’s game. It was a little bit a game that was about duels and physicality. We scored at the end of the first half, very important, a corner we worked on the day before. Thanks to my staff who take care of the set-plays.

“There was temptation to change some players [at half time] but in the end we decided to keep the same players and shape, but trying to play our game. I asked the players to be themselves and play with the ball. In the second half then it was different, we played with the ball and with more quality trying to create problems. And we scored two more goals. In the end we deserved the points.

“The profile of this Tottenham team at the moment is a very physical profile. A lot of crosses, lot of balls in the box, long balls, second balls. In the first half we had problems. We have a team to play with the ball, not without the ball. Second half was much better and the supporters and the players deserve this win.”

The ghost of Palhinha exercised

The afternoon was therefore a much happier visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Pereira, who suffered late heartbreak when taking his Wolverhampton Wanderers side to the capital earlier this season. Wolves led 1-0 until injury time in September, when a superb finish by Portugal international João Palhinha denied them a first win of the season. Pereira was fired by Wolves a little over a month later.

“I will never forget that game in my life, because it was the last second,” Pereira admitted. “We conceded the goal, Palhinha scored. But we need to be resilient in life. I need to be resilient, I need to understand that in life we have ups and downs, but the way you come back to the fight is what’s most important. I came here again believing we can win the game and we did it.”

Forest will now have an extended break before they resume action against FC Porto in the last eight of the Europa League on 9th April. Pereira believes the rest will allow better preparation time, as well as the growing sense of positivity to further enhance confidence ahead of the meeting with his old side at Estádio do Dragão.

“It’s especially [important] because I will have time to prepare what I want to prepare, the next round of games. It’s important that we feel we can get points everywhere: playing at home or away – this is the mentality I want to see in my team.

"It’s about us. It’s not about Tottenham, West Ham or Leeds. It’s about us: what we want to be as a team, what we want to be as players, what I want to be as a manager.

“What I want from my players and my team is to play without fear, to play with confidence. To play brave, to play with the ball and of course be organised.