There was the first league win at Anfield in 55 years and now a 3-1 victory over rivals Leicester . Beaten just once so far, Nottingham Forest are seventh in the Premier League table, two points off third. It is becoming more difficult to keep things low key.

Nuno Espirito Santo, Forest's head coach, knows that. But it does not mean that he has to like it. "Compliments," he tells Sky Sports with an almost pained expression on his face.

"When there are too many, it is a mistake. That is just the way that I see things." His only aim is to maintain the standards.

"I have been around too many years to know that honeymoons do not last forever, you know? The problem is to sustain it. It is very difficult. The challenge is to continue to demand the same because nothing changes.

" He is still doing it his way, although, in terms of the game's wider trends, that has never been less fashionable. In an era in which almost every coach talks of pressing high, Forest don't do it. Until Friday, they ranked bottom for winning the ball high up the pitch.

Passes allowed per defensive action - commonly known as PPDA - became the metric of choice to describe the intensity of those teams determined to win the ball quickly. Forest were bottom for that too, waiting longer than any team to initiate the press. Trending Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player While it can feel like passing out from the back has been fetishised by a generation of coaches, becoming an end in itself r.