Nottingham Forest are on the brink of safety after Vitor Pereira's selection gamble pays off

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Pereira had taken a significant gamble, picking a team without the majority of first-team regulars as he looked to keep them fresh for the Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa on Thursday. But it was a gamble that largely paid off. Pereira made eight changes to his side but still managed to secure three precious points that restored their six-point lead over the bottom three — a margin that is effectively seven points, given their vastly superior goal difference (-2) over 18th-placed West Ham (-19). More than that, it was a victory earned while still not overly taxing some of his key players, ahead of another truly massive game against Villa on Thursday. There was the very significant caveat of an injury sustained by the talismanic figure of Morgan Gibbs-White who — barely 20 minutes after being introduced as a half-time substitute — left the pitch with a facial injury. Forest will not want to consider the prospect of being without their most creative influence when they head to Birmingham looking to build on their 1-0 advantage from the first leg at the City Ground. But Pereira insisted afterwards that the former Wolves man does not have a concussion and hopes that the Forest medical team can ‘work some magic’ to ensure he is available at Villa Park. Having found themselves in the position of being expected to play a Premier League game on a Monday ahead of a European semi-final, they navigated that challenge as well as could have been expected. It was the first time this season that a club in the Europa League had been asked to do so. Unai Emery, the Aston Villa manager, made seven changes to his team on Sunday and saw them produce a limp, apologetic performance in a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur — a result that piled extra pressure on Forest to get a positive result in London. Against that backdrop it was a hugely bold call from Pereira to make a swathe of changes that saw Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson, Chris Wood, Nikola Milenkovic, Neco Williams and Omari Hutchinson left on the bench. West Ham fans had aimed their vitriol at Emery, for the part they felt he had played in the relegation fight, which saw Tottenham climb out of the relegation zone at West Ham’s expense, following a straightforward win for Spurs at Villa Park. Pereira would have faced criticism had things not gone Forest’s way at Stamford Bridge, a day later. But the manager — and the Forest hierarchy — were aware of the demands of playing three potentially season-defining games in the space of seven days. There was also a belief behind the scenes that the prospect of West Ham winning two of their last three games was an unlikely one. Having spent much of the season prioritising the Premier League ahead of their Europa League progress, this was the moment in which those priorities switched, with a  trip to Istanbul for the Europa League final in play. Whether Villa’s team selection was intended to crank up the pressure on Forest or not, it did not work, as Forest demonstrated the spirit that Pereira has revived in this Forest squad, following his appointment in February. Pereira was not the first Forest figure to be heralded by the Forest fans at the end of the game — before him it was Taiwo Awoniyi who was pushed forward by his team-mates to receive the crowd’s adulation after scoring two goals, one either side of an Igor Jesus penalty that was awarded when Awoniyi was pulled back by his shirt. The Nigerian has found his opportunities limited — this was only his second Premier League start of the campaign — but, with 12 substitute appearances, he has contributed four goals. Awoniyi has a habit of scoring important goals when it matters most for Forest — he was a key figure during their first season back in the top flight in 2022-23 and an important one when they survived again a year later. He has already gained a cult status that will only be enhanced by this latest whole-hearted display. The 28-year-old — who suffered a life-threatening abdominal injury in May 2025 and was put in an induced coma as part of his recovery — is not eligible to play against Villa. But there were a few other fringe players who might have given Pereira food for thought with their performances. Dilane Bakwa gave Marc Cucurella, the Chelsea defender, a torrid time down the Forest right, with his cross helping Awoniyi to put them in front after only 97 seconds. James McAtee looked like a man worthy of the £30million price tag he had on his shoulders when he signed from Manchester City in the summer. Ryan Yates was a dominant figure in midfield and a new-look back four defended manfully, in the absence of some key figures. And, Gibbs-White aside, Forest will head to Villa with a relatively fresh squad and with the momentum gained from what is now a 10-match unbeaten run in all competitions. “I know my players very well, I work with them every day,” said Pereira, when asked about his eight changes. “I try to balance the energy of the team, because we have some injuries. If we had more players, I would make more changes. But I thought if I used them for 45 minutes, we would be able to recover from that; to be fit for the game at Aston Villa. “At the end, I said to my players that I can change them, but (by doing that) I will not change the spirit of this team. The spirit of this team is resilient. They are playing with confidence. They are united and have ambition to win games. We came here to win the game. We will go to Villa to compete with them until the last minute. “This is the moment of the season where we will decide everything. We can finish it in a fantastic way, because this group is special.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms