Nottingham Forest survived a late scare to move level on points with second-placed Arsenal with a 3-2 win at the City Ground against Premier League strugglers Southampton.
Only goal difference separates the two sides after another crucial win for Forest, who went on after conceding a second in injury time, unlike the Gunners who lost a two-goal lead to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Two stunning first-half finishes from Elliot Anderson and Callum Hudson-Odoi, before Chris Wood helped himself to his 14th goal of the season, looked to have put Forest in the driving seat until the final 30 minutes furious.
Jan Bednarek headed Lesley Ugochukwu’s shot over the head of Matz Sels in the 60th minute and the deficit was then reduced to just one goal after Paul Onuachu came off the bench to score a second in injury time.
After a lengthy VAR delay to confirm Bednarek’s goal and rule out Nikola Milenkovic’s fourth for Forest, 12 minutes – 720 seconds were added that felt like a lifetime to the home crowd.
However, backed by resilient defending and a goal-line clearance from Ola Aina, Forest’s lead remained intact.
Their dreams of Champions League football have now been strengthened with the win, while Southampton’s chances of survival have dwindled as they remain 10 points adrift of safety.
Nuno: Southampton was a warning
Nottingham Forest HEAD Nuno Espirito Santo:
“We’ve talked about how competitive this league is. You never think the game is over. Credit to Southampton, the way they created so many problems.
“We started very well and everything became easier. The start of the second half was good, but it was really strange. Lots of stoppages and VAR decisions. They didn’t really flow.
“We didn’t manage the situation that well. Glad we won the game. It was a warning. There are a lot of things we need to improve. We know our weaknesses and our strengths.”
Juric: When we are like that, we are competitive
Southampton HEAD Ivan Juric:
“We didn’t play with intensity or energy. The first goal was really bad. Really disappointed after the big game against (Manchester United) that we played the first half at that level.
“In the second half we had more energy and scored two goals. It was the team I want to watch.
“For the first time against United, I thought it was my team. The last 40 minutes today, I saw what I wanted to see. When we were like that we are competitive.”
Forest show both sides against Saints
Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe:
How quickly football games can change.
To score three goals from an expected goal value of just 0.28 xG, to keep by the narrowest margin in added time.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side showed both sides of their game today – and that is exactly why they are now level on points with second-placed Arsenal.
Their attacking play speaks for itself, as demonstrated by their emphatic finishing in the first half, but they secured all three points thanks to their stoic defensive display in the latter stages of the game.
With the pressure mounting and Southampton looking dangerous with every attack, the team rallied and dragged themselves over the line.
Forest are the real deal and they owe a lot to their commitment on the defensive end.
Southampton have to play for 90 minutes
Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe:
As against United, Southampton showed enough promise and threat in injury time to come away with a result today.
Southampton’s Paul Onuachu celebrates his side’s second goal of the match
If they had played with the same purpose throughout the 90 minutes, they would not have come away empty-handed – as Juric rightly pointed out.
However, like rivals Leicester, the Saints are failing to produce positive performances throughout the game, and it could end up being their downfall in the end.
Juric will learn more about his side in time, but one thing is clear – they looked more threatening with target man Paul Onuachu, who scored his first Premier League goal today, leading the line.
“He has this quality,” Juric said. He is a fighter and very good with his head. He will be very good for us and very happy for him.”
