Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White said his team played with a “real identity” as new manager Vitor Pereira's reign began with a 3-0 Europa League victory over Fenerbahce.
Pereira took charge of Forest for the first time after becoming their fourth manager in a chaotic season and it couldn't have gone better as they took a decisive lead into the first leg of their playoff round in Istanbul.
Goals from Murillo, Igor Jesus and Gibbs-White made it a memorable night for Forest as life after Sean Dyche began with free goals.
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Perhaps in a veiled dig at Dyche, Gibbs-White said on TNT Sports: “I felt like we had a real identity today.
“I think his message to us is that we are going to have a real identity about how we play and how we defend as a team.
“I feel like he and his staff have brought a really positive energy to the group and we've all accepted what he wants right away. And I think that's the most important thing: accepting each other and understanding each other.
“I think we already have a little bit of that and I think we showed abundance today. So it's about continuing to learn from each other. Keep learning and then take it game by game.”
Victory means that, barring a disaster in next week's second leg at the City Ground, Forest will earn a last-16 tie against either Real Betis or Midtjylland.
Pereira's main focus in his new role is to ensure Forest retains their Premier League status and this performance should give him confidence ahead of Sunday's home game against Liverpool.
“As a player, you want to enjoy every moment,” Gibbs-White added. “It can be difficult as a footballer to enjoy the moments because of how quickly the games happen. We can enjoy it and then prepare for Liverpool at the weekend.
“We have been through a difficult time, trust is the main thing and tonight the trust will increase. We just have to stay together and be the most complete team.”
Pereira said he was pleased with what he saw from his new team and is confident he can get enough out of them to reach Premier League safety.
“The quality of the players [I liked the most]. I asked them to express themselves in the field. They did it,” he said.
“Before coming I realized that the players have a lot of quality. They need results but they need to enjoy the game.
“If they enjoy the way they play, they can have a high level. They just need organization and confidence.
“Of course I am [confident]. We will try to win the next game game by game. It will be very difficult.
“It's not easy to come here and score three goals and not concede any. The next game will be different and we have to be consistent.”
