Forest lend retro feel to table - here's why they can stay the course

The Premier League table has a retro feel about it at the halfway stage.

Liverpool's winning machine under Arne Slot lead the way, but their closest current challengers are the ones that have thrown up the real surprise.

With 19 games played, Nottingham Forest lie second and are tussling with the Reds, similar to when they locked horns for silverware in the late 1970s and during the 80s.

Forest beat Everton 2-0 on Sunday with their fans leaving Goodison Park and heading back to the Midlands singing "we're gonna win the league".

Doing 'a Leicester City' and claiming the trophy might be a stretch, particularly as it would require a significant collapse from Liverpool.

But, for now, they are drinking in every moment.

"We are enjoying it," said boss Nuno Espirito Santo of their league position. "We are especially enjoying because our fans are enjoying.

"This is what we have to do together, let's enjoy the journey, compete in every match. Nothing changes, we have to realise we didn't achieve anything."

Here, BBC Sport looks at five reasons why Forest are capable of keeping pace for a top-four finish.

Forest won the First Division title in 1978 with Liverpool coming second, while the final league positions were reversed a year later.

During the 80s, Forest finished third on three occasions and, in those seasons, Liverpool twice ended as champions as well as coming runners-up.

Under Brian Clough, Forest shocked the continent by lifting the European Cup in 1979 and retaining the crown a year later.

They have not competed in that competition since the 1980-81 campaign, but can fans start dreaming of hearing the Champions League anthem at the City Ground next season?

Having 37 points after 19 games shows mixed results in the Premier League era.

For example, Wimbledon finished eighth in 1997 having had the same tally at this stage and Sunderland came seventh three years later, while Chelsea (2003) and Liverpool (2008) both managed to finish in the top four at the end of the campaign.

Chris Wood is a proven Premier League striker, netting double figures in six seasons, previously for Burnley and now Forest.

The New Zealand international scored his 11th league goal of the campaign against Everton with a delightful finish and his goalscoring run is showing no signs of slowing down.

Only the usual suspects of Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer have scored more goals in the league this season than Wood.

The 33-year-old is on course to surpass his best top-flight tally of 14 achieved last term as well as for the Clarets in 2019-20, and his 22 goals under Nuno Espirito Santo is the joint-most by a Forest player under one manager.

He is in fine Forest company with that number, alongside Stan Collymore who netted the same for Frank Clark in the 1990s.

There was high praise for Wood on BBC Sport's live text commentary of Sunday's game, when he was compared to a cult hero of Italian football.

Contributor Andrew said: "Wood is running around and scoring like a prime Christian Vieri this season. His abilities have always been under-rated in English football."

Forest are not just armed with a potent goalscorer, they are solid defensively too having conceded only 19 goals in as many games so far this season.

Only leaders Liverpool (17) and third-placed Arsenal (16) have shipped fewer in the top-flight this term.

Goalkeeper Matz Sels leads the way in the league with eight clean sheets and although he had a comfortable afternoon on Merseyside, he did make a sharp stop off Beto to preserve another shutout.

But Forest's star of the show in their backline is centre-half Nikola Milenkovic, who will surely be a contender for bargain signing of the season.

Having previously been linked with 'bigger' clubs, Forest swooped to sign Milenkovic for just £12m from Fiorentina in the summer and the towering Serbia international is showcasing what other sides are missing out on.

The 27-year-old is the bedrock of Forest's fine defensive showings and marshals his team-mates with confidence and authority.

Appointed just over a year ago, not even the most optimistic of Forest fans would have expected the impact Nuno has made.

Having been 17th in the table when he took over last December and staring at relegation following a points deduction for breaching financial rules, the ex-Wolves has galvanised the club to leave the fans singing "up the Football League we go".

Wood and Milenkovic have been highlighted and the side were untroubled at Everton without injured defender Murillo, showing that the Portuguese has an array of talent that act as supporting cast.

The most notable of those is skipper Morgan Gibbs-White.

Like his manager, the midfielder made the move from Molineux and has since broken into the England national team.

It was his ball forward that set up the opener against Everton and the 24-year-old's goal in the game was coolly taken - receiving a pass from Wood, turning a defender, and converting with aplomb.

Nuno called his skipper a "talented player" who is "fantastic", while Nevin said he is a "class act".

Ex-England defender Stephen Warnock said on BBC Radio 5 Live: "The balance that they have up front and the players that they have in those forward areas are wonderful. They have been creative and clinical."

Forest have capitalised on members of the traditional top six faltering this season.

Champions Manchester City's crisis has been well-documented, and they currently sit in fifth place, while Tottenham and Manchester United are nowhere to be seen, languishing in the bottom half of the table.

Aston Villa's packed schedule is catching up with them - they are down in ninth place after finishing fourth last season.

"Our expectations are the same," said Nuno. "We have to prepare for the next one."

That game in the new year comes against his former club Wolves, who are rejuvenated under Vitor Pereira, and a good result there is another step closer to retro becoming a new reality.