Nuno Espírito Santo has admitted that no one at Nottingham Forest had anticipated being third in the Premier League by April, but has backed his side to embrace the challenge after they opened a crucial week with victory away at Tottenham Hotspur.

Forest had slipped to sixth place following weekend wins for their Champions League qualification rivals Manchester City, Chelsea, and Aston Villa. However, Nuno’s men responded superbly in the capital.

Early goals from Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood put Forest firmly in control, and although Spurs created a number of opportunities, Richarlison’s 87th-minute header proved too little, too late as Forest secured what could prove a decisive three points in the battle for a top-five finish.

Having needed a final-day victory at Burnley last season to ensure survival, Forest have grown in confidence under Nuno, and Wood’s 19th goal of the campaign leaves them heading back to London on Sunday for an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City in buoyant spirits.

“First and foremost, we have to recognise that we are in a fight that nobody expected — not even ourselves — and that is normal,” Nuno said.

“But I’m not here to prove anyone wrong. It’s about us. We have a huge desire to compete and the players are enjoying it. We’re in the mix with some of the biggest clubs and that in itself should make us proud.

“We embrace the challenge. We’re heading into a significant week, going to Wembley to face a top side, and there are still many matches left. If we can maintain this attitude and continue competing well, anything is possible.”

Nuno watched as Forest made the perfect start when Anderson’s effort deflected past Guglielmo Vicario in the fifth minute, and the lead was doubled 12 minutes later when Wood drifted between Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven to head home Anthony Elanga’s cross.

Tottenham improved as the match wore on, with Mathys Tel and Richarlison missing chances before Dejan Kulusevski’s 59th-minute header was spectacularly cleared off the line by Harry Toffolo.

Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels then twice denied Richarlison before the Brazilian forward finally converted a Pedro Porro cross in the 87th minute, but Forest held on for the victory.

Reflecting on the tense finale, Nuno added: “Of course the final minutes were filled with anxiety, willing the clock to move faster as Tottenham pushed us back.

“We’re extremely proud of the way we competed. I think the team started the match very well, we scored important goals and even without the ball we remained disciplined to contain Tottenham.

“Although they created chances, we had Mats once again performing at a high level, a fantastic clearance from Harry Toffolo — but that’s what team spirit is all about.”

Meanwhile, Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou admitted that suffering an 18th league defeat of the season was “unacceptable,” although he took some encouragement from his team’s overall performance.

“It’s another match that we’ve lost where we shouldn’t have, and unfortunately that has been the story of our season — we’ve made things extremely difficult for ourselves at key moments,” Postecoglou said.

“It’s a real shame because the football we played today was outstanding, and I felt we completely dominated the match. Even after conceding the two goals, I still believe we deserved to win.

“But ultimately, it’s yet another defeat — and another unacceptable one.”