Nottingham Forest climbed level on points with second-placed Arsenal after surviving a dramatic late comeback by bottom-placed Southampton at the City Ground.
The hosts appeared to be cruising with a 3-0 lead by the 41st minute, but a fortunate Jan Bednarek goal and a powerful header from Paul Onuachu during the first of 12 added minutes set up a tense finish.
Southampton nearly secured an equalizer in the dying moments, but Ola Aina made a stunning goal-line clearance to deny Bednarek’s header.
For much of the match, such drama seemed unlikely. Forest took the lead in the 11th minute when Elliot Anderson made a surging run from midfield and drilled a low shot into the bottom left corner, marking his first goal for the club.
Callum Hudson-Odoi doubled the advantage in the 28th minute with a superb strike from the edge of the box, capitalizing on a defensive error by Southampton. Chris Wood then nodded in his 14th goal of the season to make it 3-0 before the break.
Forest extended their unbeaten run to eight league games, with seven wins and one draw. They remain third on goal difference but now sit seven points ahead of sixth-placed Bournemouth, boosting their hopes of European qualification next season.
Both Forest and Arsenal trail league leaders Liverpool by six points, though Liverpool have a game in hand.
Meanwhile, Southampton’s struggles continued. They have now lost 18 games this season, including all five league matches since Ivan Juric’s appointment in December, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the table with just six points.