Nuno praises Forest for 'controlling tempo' at Southampton

The former Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur coach oversaw Forest's 1-0 win over Saints at St Mary's on Saturday, thanks to Morgan Gibbs-White.

The result leaves Saints without a point from their first two fixtures, while Espirito Santo's charges have taken four from their opening two.

Forest were comfortable for most of the match with Saints registering just one shot on target - but he felt that was no easy task at St Mary's.

He told the Daily Echo: "We took a really good look at the way Southampton play (ahead of the match).

Nuno Espirito Santo's Forest side are looking above the relegation battle (Image: PA)

"The way they play with (Jack) Stephens jumping and creating this overload in the midfield. They create the box, which we've been able to really control well.

"We did that, especially in the first half. It's very difficult. They are a good team," Portuguese boss Espirito Santo added. 

"Honestly, I think we played a very good game since we started. We were dominant, we controlled the tempo of the game and we created situations.

"It's always tough to play away from home, it is something that is an issue that is dragging us. Let's try and see if this is the first step for improvement.

"Overall, it was a very good performance from the boys. In the second half, there was a spell that saw them bring their quality and the way they played.

"They controlled it and they put us down - we were not able to press for 15 minutes. We found it really tough but it was overall a good answer from the players."