Vitor Pereira credited his Nottingham Forest players for expressing themselves after his first game in charge resulted in a 3-0 victory over Fenerbahce in the Europa League.

Murillo, Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White were on target as Forest put one foot in the round of 16 with a dominant win in Istanbul. 

It was their biggest-ever win on their travels in major European competitions, and their first victory in any European knockout-stage match since defeating Lyon 1-0 in the UEFA Cup in 1995.

Pereira could hardly have asked for a better start after replacing Sean Dyche, as he maintained his record of never losing his first game in charge of a club (11 wins, four draws).

Asked what he liked most about Forest's performance, Pereira told TNT Sports: "The quality of the players. I asked them to express themselves on the pitch, and they did it.

"We had chances to score two more goals. It was a very good result. It is only half-time, we need to be consistent, the schedule is tight and difficult. 

"Everyone must be ready to help the team. This is what I ask of them. I realised before I came that the players have a lot of quality.

"They need results but they need to enjoy the games. If they enjoy the way they are playing, they can reach a high level. They just need organisation and confidence."

First win for Vítor Pereira.  pic.twitter.com/SVpVoth9mn

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) February 19, 2026

Forest will now turn their attentions to the Premier League, as they sit just three points clear of the bottom three ahead of welcoming Liverpool to the City Ground on Sunday.

Asked if he was confident of keeping Forest in the top flight, Pereira said: "Of course I am. We will try to win the next match. It will be very difficult. 

"It is not easy to come here and score three goals and not concede. Next game will be a different game, and we need to be consistent."

Fenerbahce boss Domenico Tedesco, meanwhile, admitted his team had been thoroughly outplayed after they attempted just six shots (worth 0.48 expected goals), compared to Forest's 23 shots and 2.87 xG.

"If you lose 3-0, many things clearly didn't work and many things worked for Forest. We lost our confidence and the first half was difficult for us," Tedesco told TNT Sports.

"First of all, we played against a well-organised team. We played against good players. When you see the physicality and the players they had, it was hard for us. They have good players, good decision makers on the pitch. We suffered a lot today. It was deserved."