Nuno Espirito Santo explains his ‘superstitious’ act during Nottingham Forest’s penalty shootout win over Brighton | Football

Nuno Espirito Santo says he remained seated for Nottingham Forest’s penalty shootout win over Brighton as he was ‘too nervous’ and it is one of his ‘football superstitions’.

Matz Sels proved the hero for Forest, denying both Jack Hinshelwood and Diego Gomez from 12 yards after 120 minutes of goalless action at Amex Stadium.

The 4-3 shootout victory secured the visitors a place in the semi-finals of the competition for the first time in 34 years and there were jubilant scenes in the away end as Ryan Yates’ decisive penalty hit the back of the net.

Brian Clough was the last manager to lead Forest into the last four way back in 1991, when the club were eventually defeated by Tottenham in a memorable final at Wembley.

Forest and Crystal Palace – who saw off Fulham earlier in the day – will discover their opponents for the semi-finals following Aston Villa’s tie with Preston North End on Sunday.

‘It means a lot, it’s a huge moment for us as a club,’ Espirito Santo told reporters at his post-match press conference.

‘It’s a huge moment for us in our journey together to have this moment to enjoy and play football at Wembley in such a huge competition that is the FA Cup. We are delighted.’

Espirito Santo said Forest’s spirit and togetherness had been the ‘foundation’ for everything good they had done since he took charge of the club in December 2023.

‘Since I joined, the first thing that I noticed was the good atmosphere and the bond between the players,’ he added.

‘We have just tried to reinforce them as time goes by but having them together, respecting and helping each other in every moment, on and off the pitch, it’s huge. The bond is the foundation for everything.

‘We’re not going to change our approach. Now we have to recover and prepare for Tuesday [against Manchester United]. It’s day by day.’

The Forest manager sprung a surprise by starting both Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi on the bench for the quarter-final tie, with the club hosting Manchester United in the Premier League on Tuesday.

Wayne Rooney said he would have been ‘fuming’ if he were a Forest fan but Espirito Santo hinted that he would be prepared to do the same again in the next round.

Asked whether he will field his strongest team in the semi-finals, the Portuguese replied: ‘I cannot answer, I cannot answer. It depends on so many things, the moment of the player.

‘Tuesday is going to be tough for us, it’s going to be really tough, so let’s see. Let’s see how many days we have. Everything has to come in together so we make hopefully the right decision.’

With penalties looming, a tense-looking Espirito Santo was pictured sitting in the dugout on his own, with his coaching staff stood apart from him on the touchline.

‘It’s because I’m too nervous,’ he explained.

‘It’s a moment of anxiety that I prefer to sit down for.

‘Also, it’s superstition. I did it before, so I think we all have, in football, superstitions.’

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