NafisaNottingham Forest squandered a golden opportunity in their Champions League quest after dropping points in a crucial clash against Leicester City.
Forest missed the chance to climb back into the top five after failing to overcome already-relegated Leicester at the City Ground.
The Foxes struck first through Conor Coady, but Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood responded to put Nuno Espirito Santo’s men in control.
However, slack defending allowed Facundo Buonanotte to fire home an equaliser in the 81st minute, and the match ended all square.
In the aftermath, club owner Evangelos Marinakis stormed onto the pitch and appeared to lash out verbally at head coach Espirito Santo.
The Forest manager has since revealed what was said during that tense confrontation.
Espirito Santo reveals what Marinakis told him after Forest’s draw with Leicester:
While speaking to Sky Sports post-match, Espirito Santo shed light on the words exchanged with Marinakis on the pitch.
“It was due to the situation,” the Forest manager explained. “There was a confusion over the situation of [Taiwo Awoniyi].
“There was frustration to play 10 minutes with a player that had so much confidence and being positive that he’s going to score.
“We made the sub, then played with one man less. That causes frustration, it’s obvious.”
Espirito Santo added: “Football, football is emotions. It’s difficult to control, especially when we had so much expectation today.
“The fans were incredible, we wanted to proceed the fight. It’s not in our hands now, we appreciate the effort of the players and enthusiasm of the fans.
“It’s not in our hands, but it’s not over.”
Espirito Santo puzzled by Forest’s dip in form:
When questioned by journalists about Forest’s recent struggles, Espirito Santo admitted he couldn’t pinpoint the cause.
“I don’t know the reason,” he said. We can easily say it’s because of anxiety or nerves, but the players don’t transmit that.
“We feel it is about us, it was in our hands and it isn’t now. We will try to manage the situation but we’re not playing good.
“We’re not solid in defence, we don’t shut teams down, and in the Premier League that is not good.
“I wish I could tell you why. Our main focus is to give solutions, but we’re not able to do it. That’s frustrating for us.”
Forest now have just two fixtures left to salvage their European campaign. They’ll likely need to win both to secure a spot in next season’s Champions League.
Next up is a visit to West Ham United, who defeated Manchester United earlier today, followed by a high-stakes home finale against Chelsea, which could prove decisive.
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