Nottingham Forest emerged victorious in a thrilling relegation battle against bottom-placed Southampton, securing a 4-3 win at the City Ground and significantly boosting their chances of Premier League survival.
Forest quickly took control of the match, with Taiwo Awoniyi netting a brace to give them an early 2-0 lead. However, Southampton fought back as Carlos Alcaraz smartly finished to bring the visitors back into the game.
The first half concluded with a flurry of goals. Morgan Gibbs-White and Lyanco struck for Forest, and Southampton had a goal disallowed by VAR. Forest seemed to have the match wrapped up when the impressive Danilo capped off a flowing move with a clinical finish.
In the dying moments of the game, Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse converted a penalty in the 96th minute, providing a glimmer of hope for a late equalizer. However, Forest managed to hold on and secure the victory, propelling themselves up to 16th place. Southampton now finds themselves eight points adrift of safety following Everton’s win against Brighton.
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Early in the match, Southampton came close to scoring as Theo Walcott broke through the middle, but his shot was deflected wide by Felipe’s intervention. It was Forest who capitalized on the counterattack, with Brennan Johnson driving towards the area and setting up Awoniyi for his first goal of the night.
Awoniyi swiftly added a second, fending off Armel Bella-Kotchap to score his sixth league goal of the season. Southampton responded by taking advantage of Forest’s defensive lapse, as Stuart Armstrong found Alcaraz, who calmly found the bottom corner to reduce the deficit.
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Forest extended their lead once again from the penalty spot, with Johnson being brought down by Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Gibbs-White converted the spot-kick, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and making it 3-1.
The second half continued with relentless action, as Ward-Prowse’s corner found Lyanco, who bundled the ball past Keylor Navas to give Southampton hope. Navas made a crucial save soon after to deny Ruben Selles’ side from equalizing.
Gibbs-White tested McCarthy with a diving shot before Forest restored their two-goal advantage. Johnson orchestrated another attack, and Gibbs-White cleverly flicked the ball into Danilo’s path, allowing him to finish powerfully.
In the final moments of stoppage time, Ward-Prowse converted another penalty, narrowing the deficit to 4-3. The match concluded with over 100 minutes on the clock, providing a thrilling and dramatic spectacle.
Overall, Nottingham Forest’s triumph in this high-scoring encounter significantly improves their chances of staying in the Premier League, while Southampton faces an increasingly difficult battle to avoid relegation.
