Nuno Espirito Santo said his Nottingham Forest side were embracing being in the race for Champions League football and in an FA Cup semifinal after they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 away on Monday.
Forest jumped back up to third in the table and are in pole position out of the five clubs slugging it out for the Champions League spots behind Liverpool and Arsenal.
"We are in a fight that nobody expected, us included," Espirito Santo said.
"We are in the mix against big teams and that only can make us proud. And we embrace the challenge," the former Spurs manager added.
Forest took a two-goal lead within the first 16 minutes with goals from Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood and then soaked up Tottenham's pressure. They cracked in the 87th minute when Richarlison headed home, but held on to emerge victorious.
Forest's fine season could become even better at the weekend when they face Manchester City in an FA Cup semifinal.
"We are ahead of a big week for us. We're going to Wembley to compete against a big team and there are a lot of games ahead of us. As long as we keep this approach, competing well, you never know."
Tottenham had the bulk of possession and 22 shots to Forest's four but Espirito Santo has built his team on counter-attacks and intensity.
He praised defender Harry Toffolo, who enjoyed a rare appearance in the side and made a spectacular clearance off the line, and Chris Wood, who bagged his 19th league goal of the season.
"Even though a player doesn't start (regularly), I still believe that he's going to play a part," he said. "And Harry did it."