Nottingham Forest survived a late scare to secure a 3-2 victory against Southampton, a win that may have looked in doubt but sees them move level with second-place Arsenal in the Premier League table. George Edwards was at the match
You can deeply improve a side and elevate them to new heights, but you can never truly diminish their DNA.
There was a huge sense of disbelief from all inside the City Ground when Southampton managed to muster a goal, after an hour of bluntness and flatness from the visiting side. That disbelief grew further as the Saints scored a fluky second goal, closing the gap to one and creating quite the spectacle for the remaining 12 minutes of stoppage time.
It may have taken a goal line clearance from Ola Aina and plenty of nervy moments, but Forest held out where before they might not have, proving that even in their positive moments, nothing ever comes that easy for supporters of this historic club.
Until the Saints opener, it was a performance of swagger and dominance, with Forest edging three goals up with little discomfort in the first half.
That will be the frustration from Nuno, that a game that Forest had complete control of and one that seemed set to bolster their goal difference tally turned into one where the points only narrowly came home.
However, credit must be given to the position Forest did get themselves into that was ultimately unassailable, asserting their superiority over Southampton and relishing the polar opposite task compared to their spirited display against Liverpool on Tuesday night.
They were allowed more possession and space than Liverpool relinquished and made it show in the scoreline, epitomised by Elliot Anderson’s opener after 11 minutes.
The assist from Morgan Gibbs-White displays his difference-making impact, with a confident flick round the corner to Anderson, where most would have played the simple ball back to Neco Williams, the man who started the move with a throw-in.
From there it’s all Anderson, striding towards goal and whipping the ball into the bottom corner of the net before Aaron Ramsdale could react.
Despite Chris Wood scoring over a third of Forest’s goals this season, they have been largely spread out between Forest’s attacking players, with contributions from midfield and defence. The one man who was missing a goal based on his performances was Anderson, jumping for joy and racing towards the A-block corner with delight.
His energy and class has transformed Forest’s midfield, a player who can dribble like a number 10, cover ground like a number eight and defend like a number six. His talent certainly merited reward in the goal-scoring charts, his first both in the Garibaldi and in the Premier League, as the City Ground could finally relay their love for their ‘Geordie Maradona’.
Callum Hudson-Odoi’s first goal since November was greeted with similar affection, yet another distance strike nestling in the back of the net, his worrying limp off minutes later perhaps the overriding negative given his importance to how Forest go about their play.
In fact, the attackers who ended the game on the pitch compared to those who started showed why that’s the case. Forest did have openings towards the end, ones that Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White, Elanga and co. would have craved for, that in reality eventually petered out, inviting Southampton onto them more and more as the game drew to a close. Forest’s XI just picks itself these days, with Yates and Dominguez rotated, the other 10 relied upon and deployed without much debate.
Luckily, Forest’s first-half buffer was enough, the winning goal ultimately coming from Chris Wood once again, following his assist to Hudson-Odoi for his side’s second. Wood’s fourth goal in four consecutive league matches was a brilliant one-two with Ola Aina, culminating in classic number nine’s header, generating power and direction to take Ramsdale out of the game.
The New Zealander boosted his goal tally to 14, now fourth in the race for the golden boot and 17 goals away from the Premier League 100 club.
Matz Sels’ race for the golden glove took a slight blow, however, failing to extend the gap he’s built up in a fixture that he might have expected to.
If Forest had grabbed that fourth goal it would have been so different, and VAR’s intervention to rule out Nikola Milenkovic’s header seemed to mess with the mindset. But hold out they did, to a position that has certainly messed with the minds of the Premier League elites, as the Reds moved level with second-placed Arsenal thanks to the three points.
There is a huge sense that something special is happening on Trentside this season, that no obstacle is unsurmountable, and that no opposition or situation should be feared.
Forest now have two 3-2 scorelines this season, and both have been wins — 3-2 was a scoreline that haunted them last term, with seven losses by that scoreline. They are now eight matches unbeaten in the Premier League and have a six-point buffer over the two sides below them in fourth place.
The wins, the performances and the happiness just keep on coming this season, and whatever is thrown at Forest, they have shown and continue to prove that they have the stomach and quality to overcome adversity and get the job done in almost every situation.
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