Perfect start for Pereira as Forest enjoy record win at Fenerbahce

Vitor Pereira made a dream start as Nottingham Forest boss with a 3-0 win over Fenerbahce in the first leg of the Europa League playoffs, while Stuttgart thrashed Celtic 4-1 to ruin Martin O'Neill's 1,000th match as a manager on Thursday.

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Pereira became Forest's fourth boss this season after agreeing an 18-month deal to replace the sacked Sean Dyche on Sunday.

He made an instant impact as the Premier League strugglers powered to an impressive victory in Istanbul thanks to goals from Murillo, Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White

Forest's dominant display puts them in pole position to finish the job in the second leg at the City Ground on Feb.26.

"I realised before I came that the players have a lot of quality. They need results but they need to enjoy the game," Pereira said.

"I asked them to express themselves on the pitch. They did it. It was a very good result."

Perched perilously just three points above the Premier League relegation zone, Forest’s main aim is to avoid dropping into the Championship.

But extending their first European campaign since 1995-96 would be a notable feat for a club starved of continental success since the Brian Clough era.

Pereira had been out of work since being sacked by Wolves in November after a dismal start to this season.