Pereira Focuses On Forest's Survival As They Hold Fulham In Goalless Draw

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Nottingham Forest drew 0-0 with Fulham at the City Ground, a result that keeps the Premier League relegation battle finely balanced while Vitor Pereira insists the focus inside the Forest camp stays on their own performances rather than on rivals’ scores elsewhere.

The stalemate leaves Forest 17th in the table, still without a home league win in seven attempts, yet level on points with West Ham in 18th, while Leeds United sit 15th after also drawing, meaning Pereira’s team miss a chance to gain bigger breathing space.

Forest had enough chances to win, with Dan Ndoye seeing a first-half penalty cancelled by VAR for offside and another finish also ruled out, while Ola Aina smashed a powerful effort against the crossbar, leaving Pereira frustrated by the result but encouraged by the team’s attitude in a tense relegation scrap.

Pereira stressed that the players were reminded about Saturday’s results and the opportunity this fixture offered, yet the head coach underlined that Forest’s approach over the remaining matches will not change, as belief in avoiding Premier League relegation remains strong inside the dressing room. "I said to my players that the results yesterday weregood for us, because today, we had a chance to move above [and prove ourselves], he said. Until the end of the season, we will try and get points in every game without looking at other results.I believe we can make it happen. We can win games."

Fulham, meanwhile, ended the match without a single shot on target, something that had not happened for the London side in the Premier League since facing Arsenal in October, but Marco Silva still viewed the goalless draw as a valuable point in challenging conditions at a difficult venue.

Silva acknowledged Forest’s threat in attack and underlined why a cautious approach was necessary, while highlighting the benefit of another clean sheet during a busy Premier League schedule. "We knew it would be a tough game, even if they are in a position that doesn't reflect the individual quality that they have, he told Sky Sports. The ability they have up front is at a very good level. We play to win games; it is our way, but some games are very tight. It is important for us to keep the feeling of the clean sheet being positive. We were close to the three points. My approach is always the same; we didn't win, we got the point. Next week, we have another game, and we want to be back to winning ways at home before we go to the international break."

Although Fulham offered limited attacking threat here, with Calvin Bassey and Rodrigo Muniz missing the best openings in each half, Silva can still point to another solid campaign, as the club have now collected 41 points from their first 30 league matches, keeping them in contention for a strong final position.

Fulham’s current tally compares well with several past top-flight seasons, when adjusted to three points for a win, and shows steady progress in league performance across different eras of the club’s history.

The possibility of a late push for European qualification remains alive, but Bassey stressed there is no focus on league positions yet, with attention fixed on each fixture. "I don't think it's ruled out, the centre-back said when asked about contending for Europe. We take each game as it comes, anything can happen.I haven't looked at the table. Hopefully, things work in our favour as well."

Forest now head into the next round of matches still battling to stay above West Ham, while Fulham look to respond with a home victory before the international break, as both clubs chase different goals in the same Premier League campaign: survival for Pereira’s side and a possible European challenge for Silva’s team.