Nottingham Forest have been the biggest surprise package of the Premier League this season. Nuno Espirito Santo and his men have shocked everyone with their performance in the current campaign.
The Tricky Trees were looking like one of the prime contenders to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season. However, their performance in recent games haven’t been the best.
On Sunday, their Champions League qualifications took a big hit as they played out a 2-2 draw against relegated Leicester City. Forest were leading the game 2-1 until substitute Facundo Buonanotte came up with the equalizer in the 81st minute.
Following the draw, Forest owner Evangelos Mariankis was seen storming onto the pitch and later shared a heated exchange with coach Nuno Espirito Santo. The Greek businessman was not happy with the result, and he made himself known with his actions.
With this draw, Forest have gone down to seventh spot in the Premier League standings. They are currently two points behind the Champions League qualification spots with only two games to go.
However, this draw has also assured their spot in Europe after 29 years. So while there were reasons to be frustrated, there are also reasons to celebrate.
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Football fans all over social media was seen criticizing Marinakis for his actions and later, former Manchester United defender and football pundit Gary Neville termed his actions as ‘scandalous’.
“I think what the Forest owner has just done over on the pitch at the City Ground is absolutely scandalous,” Neville said ahead of Liverpool’s game against Arsenal. “If I was Nuno I’d be going to have a very strong word with him because that is a scandal.
“You’ve just qualified for a European competition. Where that club’s been, to be remonstrating [with Nuno] on the pitch in front of the club’s fans is an absolute joke.”
What did Nuno say about the incident?
Nuno calmly handled the situation at the post-match press conference. The former Wolves manager says that he understands the frustration of owner Marinakis. “Football is emotions, it’s difficult to control when we had so much expectation,” Nuno clarified.
🚨🇬🇷 Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis went onto the pitch after the 2-2 draw against Leicester.
He had a few words with manager Nuno Espirito Santo, reports @BBCSport. 😳 pic.twitter.com/BMLG8upiUa
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) May 11, 2025
“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 the enthusiasm of the fans. It’s not in our hands, but it’s not over.”
It has been a dream season for Nuno and his men as they have been holding the third spot in the Premier League standings for the longest time. But the Reds have only won one out of their last six league games (2D, 3L).
With games against West Ham United and Chelsea left to go, Forest still have a decent enough chance to sneak into the top five and qualify for the Champions League next season.
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