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Nottingham Forest survived a second-half Southampton fightback to earn a narrow 3-2 victory and keep the pressure on Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
Forest saw out a nervous final few minutes to pick up a seventh win from their last eight outings to keep the gap between themselves and leaders Liverpool at six points.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side produced a professional and clinical display in the first half to give them a healthy advantage at the break courtesy of strikes from Elliot Anderson and Callum Hudson-Odoi, before Chris Wood nodded in his 14th goal of the season.
Southampton, who were without key man Tyler Dibling due to injury, refused to roll over and Jan Bednarek got them back into the contest with half an hour to play before Paul Onuachu headed home his first goal for the club, but it was not enough as Forest survived the late scare.
Forest opened the scoring from their first real foray forward in the 12th minute.
A throw-in was neatly flicked into the path of Anderson by Morgan Gibbs-White and the former arrowed his strike from distance past Southampton’s helpless goalkeeper, Aaron Ramsdale.
Saints were masters of their own downfall again when they attempted to play out from the back. Bednarek was caught napping by Wood and Hudson-Odoi’s strike nestled into the far corner.
Southampton were lucky to still have 11 men on the field after Flynn Downes’ second poor challenge on Gibbs-White. Referee Anthony Taylor finally brandished a yellow card following a forearm smash into the face of the Forest forward.
The home side found it far too easy to carve open their rock-bottom opponents and soon had a third. Ola Aina had all the time in the world to pick out Wood who headed home to continue his blistering goalscoring form.
Forest should have had a fourth 10 minutes after the interval but Anthony Elanga was denied magnificently by Ramsdale and Gibbs-White was unable to put in the rebound.
Southampton found a way back into the contest after a free kick came out to Lesley Ugochukwu, who shanked an effort which bounced off Bednarek and looped into the back of the net.
Forest thought they had immediately restored their three-goal advantage. Elanga’s cross was glanced goalwards by Nikola Milenkovic and straight to Ramsdale, who he spilled the ball over his goal line.
However, his blushes were spared after Taylor was sent to the pitchside monitor by the VAR and the goal was ruled out after Wood was deemed to have been in an offside position.
The fourth official signalled 12 minutes of added time and Southampton immediately set up a grandstand finish as Onuachu headed home from Mateus Fernandes’s corner.
Bednarek thought he had snatched an equaliser at the death when he jumped highest from another corner but Aina cleared off the line and the home supporters could finally breathe a huge sigh of relief.
